Travel Guides Turkey The Topkapi Palace
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The Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı in Turkish, literally the "Cannongate Palace" - named after a nearby gate), is located at the tip of a spit of land in the European part of Istanbul. It was built on the site of the old acropolis of ancient Greek Byzantion. After the fall of Constantinople, it became not just the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans and their households, but also the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1465 to 1853. In the hey-day of the Ottoman Empire there resided about 4,000 people in the palace. It was originally called the "New Palace" to distinguish it from the Eski Sarayi, the former residence of the sultan in Istanbul. It became known as the Topkapı Palace in the 19th century, named after a (now destroyed) Topkapı shore pavillion. The name Topkapı is written with the Turkish character " ı", pronounced as "u" as in "church". A few years after his conquest of Constantinople, the construction of a new palace was ordered by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1459, who also established the layout of the palace. This layout would dictate the pattern of future renovations. He summoned experienced craftsmen from everywhere, especially inhabitants from Constantinople who had fled to Edirne and Bursa after the fall of the city. He used the most expensive and rare materials, trying to give back to the city its former glory. The palace was completed in 1465. The palace is favourably located on the Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu), a promontory overlooking the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, having a splendid view of the Bosphorus. It consists of a conglomeration of many smaller buildings and four courts. Apart from the Topkapı Palace, the First Court also contains the old imperial mint (constructed in 1727), the church of Hagia Eirene, the Archeology Museum (constructed during the 19th century) and various fountains, pavilions (for example, the Çinili Pavilion, or Tiled Pavilion) and gardens (including the Gülhane Park, the old imperial rose garden). The second court was a park, full of peacocks and gazelles, used as a gathering place for courtiers. Only the sultan was allowed to ride on the pebble walks. This court is surrounded by the palace hospital, bakery, Janissary quarters, stables, the imperial Harem and Divan to the north and the kitchens to the south. Numerous artifacts from the Roman and Byzantine periods have been found on the palace site during recent excavations. These include sarcophagi, baptismal fonts, parapet slabs. They are on display in the second court in front of the kitchen department. The Gate of Felicity (Bab-üs Saadet) was the entrance to the private part of the palace. No one could pass this gate without the authority of the sultan. Even the Grand Vizier was only granted authorisation on specified days and under specified conditions. This gate was also witness to important events in the history of the palace : the accession to the throne of a new sultan, the offering of congratulations on religious holidays, the conferring of the title of commander in chief and the transfer of the Sacred Flag when an army went to battle. During those occasions a gilded imperial throne was set up before the gate. Beyond the Gate of Felicity is the Third Court, also called the Enderun (Inner Palace). The Fourth Court was more of a private garden of the Sultan and consists of a number of pavilions, kiosks (köşk), gardens and terraces. The square tower of the Head Physician dates from the 15th century, probably from the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror, and is the oldest building in the Fourth Court. These square towers were at that time quite common in Europe. It has few windows and its walls are almost two metres thick. The physician had his private chamber at the top, while below was a store for drugs and medicaments
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