The Abode of the Sultans

Today I went to Topkapi Palace which was home to the Sultans, and therefore headquarters of the Ottoman Government, until the mid-19th century.  The palace was designed as a series of pavilions and courtyards by Mehmet the Conqueror, recreating in stone the nomadic encampments of the Turks.  Every single surface is decorated with intricate tiles, carvings, frescoes, stained glass and semi-precious stone mosaics.

It is located on a high point over looking the Bosphorus and Golden horn.  In pre-Byzantine times, this area served as the acropolis of the city.

A view of my neighborhood from the palace terraces.

The palace's haram was built in the late 16th century and is the location of the Sultan and his family's private quarters as well as home to the palace's female inhabitants.  It it was still stunningly decorated, but seemed less ostentatious and more homey (if a palace can feel homey).

There were two main sections where photography was not allowed.  The first was the treasury, where the most fantastical creations of gold, silver and precious stones were on display.  Some notable artifacts included pendents with emeralds the size of my fist and a 86 carrot white diamond.  I heard more than one Turk clicking their tongue, a common sign of disapproval here.

The second was the Pavillion of the Holy Mantle, where some of the holiest Islamic relics can be found.  There are relics from prophets who predate Mohammad.  Examples include the staff of Moses, the Turban of Joseph and David's sword.  There are of course numerous relics attributed to the Prophet Muhammad including about a dozen samples of his beard hair, his sword, his footprint and his cloak or mantle, which gives the building it's name.  However, to me the most interesting relics were the right arm of John the Baptist and his skull.  You would normally expect to see such relics only in a particularly holy Christian Cathedral, not the palace of the Ottoman sultans.  They may have been passed down from the Byzantines, but no one knows for sure their origin.  Though he is mainly a Christian figure, John the Baptist is considered to be a Prophet by Muslims, as are Jesus and many Old Testament figures.

In the first courtyard of the palace, just inside the walls, is the 6th century Hagia Eirene.  Despite being located on the grounds of the Ottoman Palace, this church was never converted into a mosque.  Because of its superb acoustics, it is currently being used to host concert during the Istanbul Music Festival, which lasts for most of this month.  I've put going to one of the concerts there on my list of things to do.

In addition to the sokak kedis, there are numerous sokak kopeks (dogs) here.  I have yet to post pictures of them because they are generally much more sad and ragged looking than the sokak kedis.  However, I found these two content looking kopeks taking a nap in the first courtyard of the Topkapi Palace today.