Topkapı Palace

Topkapı Palace was built by Fatih Sultan Mehmed between 1460 and 1478 after the conquest of Istanbul and took its present form with the additional structures built by the sultans who followed it. The construction, which started with landscaping and mansions in Sarayburnu, which is called Zeytinlik, continued with the walls called Sûr-ı Sultânî (Kal'a-i Sultânî). The palace was called Saray-ı Cedid-i Âmire for many years because of the old palace in Beyazıt, and then the name Top Gate Palace was started to be used because of the name of the pavilion called the Collective Gate. The palace, where additions were made over time, continued to be the center of life and administration until the middle of the 19th century. By the 1840s, Dolmabahçe Palace was built between 1843 and 1856 as the existing palace was insufficient to meet the requirements of the 19th century state protocol, and after a while, the living and administrative center for the dynasty was completely moved to Dolmabahçe Palace.

Topkapi Palace is located in one of the oldest historical districts of Istanbul. Located on the historical Istanbul Peninsula between the Sea of ​​Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, the palace is one of the iconic structures of Istanbul. Topkapi Palace, which was built on an area of ​​700,000 square meters on the East Roman acropolis in Sarayburnu, was the administrative, educational and artistic center of the empire for about four hundred years until the 31st Ottoman Sultan Sultan Abdulmecid; It was also the residence of the sultans. Topkapı Palace, which was abandoned after the dynasty moved to Dolmabahçe Palace from the middle of the 19th century, has preserved its historical importance and value.

Topkapı Palace, which was turned into a museum on April 3, 1924, after the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, has the distinction of being the first museum of the Republic. Topkapi Palace, which covers an area of ​​approximately 350,000 square meters today, excluding Gulhane Park; It is one of the largest museum-palaces in the world with its structures, architecture, collections and approximately 300,000 archive documents.

It is seen that the plan of the building, whose main lines are large courtyards and surrounding porticoes and service buildings, was influenced by Edirne Palace. Service buildings are made of stone and are mostly single-storey and high-domed structures. The buildings used as residences are mostly made of stone and wood, and their domes are covered with lead. The interior parts and gardens of the palace were enriched with details such as basin, pool, fountain, and fountain, and many cisterns were built.

It can be said that Topkapı Palace consists of four parts in terms of organization: Service and protection area (Bîrun), administrative center (Dîvân-ı Hümâyun), education area (Enderûn) and the private living area of ​​the sultans (Harem). The palace has three big gates called the Iron Gate and Otluk Gate, and five service gates (seat gates), along with the Bâb-ı Hümâyun, which is the main entrance gate, on the city walls of the Byzantine period. The first gate, Bâb-ı Hümâyun, is a two-storey mansion door and the inscription above it is Ali b. It has the signature of Yahyâ es-Sûfi. The second door is Bâbüsselâm, and the third door is Babüssaâde. The palace structures consist of four interconnecting courtyards and the surrounding architectural structures. Among the palace structures surrounded by gardens and squares, there were Hagia Irene Church, Mint, Bakery, Hospital, Wood Warehouse and Hasırcılar Ocağı structures in the first courtyard, also known as Alay Square.

The second courtyard of the palace is the Divan Square, also known as the Justice Square, where the state administration takes place. In this courtyard, which has been the scene of many ceremonies throughout history, there is the Divan-ı Hümâyûn (Kubbealtı) where the council meetings were held and the Divan-ı Hümâyûn Treasury next to it. In this courtyard, there is also the Tower of Justice behind the Divan structure, the entrance to the Harem Chamber next to Kubbealtı, the Zülüflü Baltacılar Ward and the Has Stables.

The third courtyard of the palace is also called the Enderûn Courtyard. In this section, there are rooms of all sizes, the Sultan's Supply Room, Doğancılar Ward (Şahinciler), Seferliler Ocağı, Kilerli Ward, Enderun Treasure and Has Room (Holy Relics Office), as well as structures belonging to the Palace School. In Enderun, which is located in the third courtyard, when you enter Bâbüssaâde, there were the dormitories on the right and left, and when you continue from the right, there was the treasure section known as the Fatih Mansion on the upper right. The four-domed stone structure leaning against the Harem section in the upper left corner was the Has Room. This place was mostly called Hırka-i Saadet Department after the relics were brought during the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim.

In the fourth courtyard, which is the last courtyard, there are the sultan's pavilions and hanging gardens. In this section, there are the Baghdad and Revan Kiosks, which are the most distinguished examples of Ottoman classical pavilion architecture, and the Iftariye Gazebo. XVIII. The Sofa Mansion, which is thought to have been built in the 16th century, is a structure based on the Tulip Garden wall and is also known as the Kara Mustafa Pasha Mansion. The couplets of the famous Ottoman poet Hâkanî Mehmed Bey are written inside this wooden mansion and on the upper part of its walls. Ambassadors and statesmen were rarely received in the mansion located in the main part of the palace. On the right of the mansion, on the embankment, the room known as the Stone Tower was used as the palace's pharmacy for a period. In the lower part of the fourth courtyard, the last buildings of the palace, the Mecidiye Mansion and the Dressing Room, can be seen.

Topkapı Palace was affiliated to the Directorate of National Palaces Administration following the Decree No. 44 published in the Official Gazette dated 6 September 2019 and numbered 30880.