Topkapi Palace

Mehmet the Conqueror built the first Topkapı Palace shortly after the Conquest in 1453, and lived here until his death in 1481. Subsequent sultans lived in this rarefied environment until the 19th century. Mahmut II was the last emperor to occupy the palace and it was opened to public in 1924 as a museum.

Firstly, we went to visit the Harem where the sultan’s women lived. Apart from the sultan’s mother, the most powerful woman in Harem, and the sultan’s daughters, they were slaves gathered from cities in Ottoman Empire and beyond. Their dream was to become a favorite of the sultan and gave him a son.

We also see the exhibit of palace’s treasure collections, they are many precious objects such as jewel-encrusted thrones, Topkapi dagger with 3 egg-size emerald stone, ornate ceremonial canteens and stationary boxes, 86-karat diamond, a box full of emerald stone, etc. Ottoman Empire was massively expanded, there are many treasures from other countries brought to the Empire such as Chinese porcelain, European clocks, Korean silverware. It is not allowed to take photos in the treasure room.

The Imperial gate or Gate of the Sultan (main gate).

Drinking fountain of Ahmed III, in front of the palace.

Church of Hagia Eirene is in the First Courtyard.

Gate to Harem. No tour guide explanation is allowed in the Harem.

Guard room of the Harem.

The sultan's mother apartment.

Passageway in Harem.

Courtyard of the Sultan's consorts and concubines.

The entertainment room of the Harem.

We were on the palace's terrace faces the Bosphorus.