This palace is today an incomparable
museum of Ottoman wealth and
splendour, beautifully laid out in the
rooms. With one of the most fabulous
settings of any palace anywhere, the
Topkapi stands on the promontory
jutting out between the Bosporus and
the Golden Horn, the first hill of the
Seven Hills of Istanbul.
The palace has four courtyards, and
the entrance to the first one is
marked by the fabulous free-standing
rococo street fountain of Ahmet III
with its own overhanging roof. Built
in 1728, it is the most beautiful and
elaborate Ottoman fountain in the
city, as befits its location. The ticket
office lies within the first court, the
Court of the Janissaries, where the
sultan's elite military corps of slave
soldiers was stationed. In the extreme
southeast corner stands the
impressive basilica of Aya Irini. During
confidential meetings with officials
and dignitaries, the sultan would
instruct that the fountains be turned
on so that no one could overhear
their discussions. visit turkey and book All Iclusive holidays to Turkey.
The entrance to the third court is
flanked by two magnificent octagonal
towers. The main walkway through is
lined with cypress trees, two of which
have curiously interbred with a fig
and a plane tree to form hybrids.
Byzantine cisterns run under this
walkway, and traces of the red
brickwork can still be seen under the
paving. The harem lies over to the far
western end of the courtyard and the
separate ticket kiosk stands outside it.
Little is really known for sure about
life in the harem. Much is gossip and
hearsay. The women were guarded by
black eunuchs, and even the chief
physician was only allowed to inspect
his patients' hands. The lucky woman
in favour on any particular night
would be summoned to the imperial
bedchamber, told to kiss the imperial
coverlet at the foot end, then wriggle
her way under it to encounter the
sultan.
No Turkish woman is thought
ever to have had this honor, only
thousands of Caucasians, Georgians
and Armenians, and a handful of
Western Europeans. Murat III
(1574-95) had 1,200 harem women
and fathered 103 children by them.
Problems inevitably arose in such
circumstances about how to decide
the succession, and the usual Ottoman
solution was wholesale slaughter of the
other contenders by the eldest. When
this custom was thought to be getting
out of hand, a new method was
introduced of locking up the younger
brothers in the royal prison within the
Topkapi, known as the Kafes.
One of the busiest halls in the palace
is the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle,
containing Muslim holy relics captured
during Selim the Grim's campaign in Egypt in the 16th century. In addition to
rare examples of the Qur'an, these include a lock of Muhammad's beard hair and a
cast of the footprint he left as he ascended into heaven.
Within the palace, the
kitchens occupy the biggest single building. There were ten different ones, each
catering for a different hierarchy. Today, they house a priceless ceramics collection.
For most people, the highlight of the I
museum is the Treasury, where the
accumulated jewels and treasure of the
Ottoman sultans are displayed. Here
you can see some of the biggest
emeralds and diamonds in the world,
as well as the famous Topkapi dagger.
The Treasury tends to be the most
crowded part of the museum.
Beyond, in the furthermost court, are
the ornate
kiosks and terraces with
fabulous views, where the restaurant
and cafe make lingering even more
of a pleasure.
Sultanahmet. Tel: (212) 512 0480.
Open: Wed-Sun 9am~5pm.
Admission charge.
There is an additional charge for a tour
of the harem, queued for and bought
separately inside the palace, and the
Treasury. Tours of the harem leave
every 30 minutes, 9.30am-3.30pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment