It is located on the promontory of the historical
peninsula in Istanbul which overlooks both the Marmara Sea
and the Bosphorus. The walls enclosing the palace grounds,
the main gate on the land side and the first buildings
were constructed during the time of Fatih Sultan Mehmet (the
Conqueror) (1451 - 81). The palace has taken its present
layout with the addition of new structures in the later
centuries. Topkapı Palace was the official residence of
the Ottoman Sultans, starting with Fatih Sultan Mehmet
until 1856, when Abdülmecid moved to the Dolmabahçe palace,
functioned as the administrative center of the state. The
Enderun section also gained importance as a school.
The main exterior gate of the Topkapı Palace is
the Imperial Gate (Bab-i Humayun) which opens up
to the Ayasofya Square. This gate leads to a
garden known as the First Court. This court has
the Aya Irini Church which was once used as an
ammunition depot and behind the Church there is
the mint. In the past various pavillions
allocated to different services of the palace
were located in the First Court. In later years
these have been replaced with public buildings
and schools. Some of these are still existing.
At the end of the 19th century Archeology Museum
and School of Fine Arts (now Oriental Works
Museum) were built in the large garden which is
to the northwest of the First Court. The oldest
structure in this section is the Çinili Köşk
built by Fatih, which is now used as the Museum
of Turkish Tiles and Ceramics. On the walls of
this outer garden facing Bab-ı ali (the Imperial
Gate), there is Alay Köşkü (procession Pavillion)
where the Sultans used to watch the marching
ceremonies. A section of the outer garden was
planned by the municipality at the beginning of
the 20th century and opened to the public. Known
today as the Gülhane Park, the enterance has one
of the largerst gates of the palace. After the
First Court, there is the Second Court which
contains the palace buildings. It is entered
through a monumental gate called Bab'us-Selam or
the Middle Gate. The buildings in this court
form the outer section of the palace which is
called Birun. On the right there are the
instantly noticed palace kitchens with their
domes and chimneys and the dormitories of those
who worked there. The most important of the
buildings on the left side of the court are the
Kubbealtı and the Inner Treasury. Behind
Kubbealtı rises the Justice Tower, which is one
of the symbols of the Topkapı Palace. The Harem
section, which comes all the way to the back of
these buildings is entered from the Third Court.
Third Court is entered through the gate called
Bab'üs Sa'ade (Gate of the White Eunuiches).
This section of the palace is called Enderun,
and it is the section where the sultans live
with their extended families. Hence it is
specially protected. The barracks of the
Akağalar, which guard Bab'üs Sa'ade are on both
sides of the gate. There are two structures. The
first which is immediately opposite the gate is
the Throne Room or the Audience Hall. Here the
sultans receive the ambassadors and high ranking
state officials such as Grand Visier or the
Visiers. Right behind the Throne Room there is
the library built by Ahmet III (1703 - 30). On
the right side of the Third Court, there is the
barracks of the Enderun and the Privy Treasury
which is also known as the Mehmet the Conqueror
Pavilion. On the side facing the Fourth Court,
there is the Larder Barracks of the Enderun, the
Treasury Chamber and the Chamber of the Sacred
Relics. The left side starts with the Harem. The
harem which covers a large part of the Palace
consists of about 60 spaces of varying sizes.
The main structures which are located in front
of the Harem, facing the Third Court are
Akağalar Mosque, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, Barracks
of the Sacred Relics Guards and Chambers of the
Sacred Relics. Here, the sacred relics brought
back by Sultan Yavuz Selim from Egypt in 1517
are kept. The Fourth Court is entered from a
covered path going from both sides of the
Treasury Room. Here the buildings are located in
the first part of the court, which has two
sections of different levels. On the left side
of this section called Lala Garden or Lale
Garden there is Mabeyn which is the beginning
point of Harem's access to the garden, terrace
for the ladies with removable glass enclosure,
Circumcission Room, Sultan Ibrahim Patio and
another one of the symbols of Topkapi palace,
the Iftariye (or Kameriye) and Baghdat Pavilion.
This pavillion was built by Murad IV in 1640 to
commemorate the Baghdat Campaign. At the center
of the first section of the Fourth Court, there
is the Big Pool and Ravan Pavillion next to it.
This pavillion was also built by Murad IV in
1629, to commemorate the Revan Campaign. The
side facing the second section has Sofa Pavilion
(Koca Mustafa Pasha Pavilion), Başbala Tower and
Hekimbasi (Chief Physician) Room. The Sofa
Mosque and Esvap Chamber and the latest built
Mecidye Pavilion are on the right hand side of
the Fourth Court. Out of the pavillions built on
the shore of the Marmara Sea, only Sepetciler
Mansion has survived until the present.
During 18th. Century when the Topkapı palace
took its final shape, it was sheltering a
population of more than 10.000 in its outer (Birun)
and inner (Enderun) and Harem sections. It shows
no archirectural unity as new parts were added
in every period according to the needs. However,
this enables us to follow the stages Ottoman
Architecture went through from the 15th to the
middle of the 19th century at the Topkapı Palace.
The buildings of the 15th - 17th centuries are
simpler and those of the 18th - 19th centuries,
particularly in terms of exterior and interior
ornamentation are more complex.
Topkapı Palace was converted to a museum in
1924. Parts of the Palace such as the Harem,
Baghdat Pavilion, Revan Pavilion, Sofa Pavilion,
and the Audiance Chamber distinguish themselves
with their architectural assets,while in other
sections artifacts are displayed which reflect
the palace life. The museum also has collections
from various donations and a library.
Telephone and Fax Numbers of Topkapi Palace
Museum
Tel : (0212) 522 44 22 / 512 04 80-5
lines
Fax : (0212) 528 59 91
