Topkapi Palace

Greetings,

Our day's adventure took us to the Topkapi Palace.

Topkapi Palace was the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for more than 400 years. Within the palace ground contains museum, the Treasury, and the infamous Sultan’s Harem.

The main street leading to the palace is the Byzantine processional Mese avenue. The Mese was used for imperial processions during the Byzantine and Ottoman era. It leads directly to the Hagia Sophia.

The First Courtyard functioned as an outer precinct or park and is of all the courtyards the largest one of the palace.

The Imperial Harem occupied one of the sections of the private apartments of the sultan; it contained more than 400 rooms. The harem was home to the sultan's mother, the Valide Sultan; the concubines and wives of the sultan; and the rest of his family, including children; and their servants. The harem consists of a series of buildings and structures, connected through hallways and courtyards. Every service team and hierarchical group residing in the harem had its own living space clustered around a courtyard.

Why does Harry have a silly smirk on his face?

These apartments were occupied respectively by the harem eunuchs, the Chief Harem Eunuch, the concubines, the queen mother, the sultan's consorts, the princes and the favorites. There was no trespassing beyond the gates of the harem, except for the sultan, the queen mother, the sultan's consorts and favorites, the princes and the concubines as well as the eunuchs guarding the harem.

Seriously... this is the next set of blue prints for my next bathroom tub!

The Imperial Hall. The hall served as the official reception hall of the sultan as well as for the entertainment of the Harem. Here the sultan received his confidants, guests, his mother, his first wife (Hasseki), consorts, and his children. Entertainments, paying of homage during religious festivals, and wedding ceremonies took place here in the presence of the members of the dynasty.

Imagine cleaning this.... I wounder if Schambach can make me a reproduction?

Talk about a grandfather clock.... I guess if your grandfather was the Sultan.

The Golden Road. The sultan used this passage to pass to the Harem, the Privy Chamber and the Sofa-i Hümâyûn, the Imperial terrace. The attribute "golden" is due to the sultan's throwing golden coins to be picked up by the concubines at festive days. Seriously?

Here we are leaving the palace grounds.... whew, that was a lot of history for a vacation.

Blessings to those enjoying a little history,

Kristie