TOPKAPI PALACE

The Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi in Turkish) was the official and primary Istanbul residence of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1853. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today. The name directly translates as "Cannongate Palace," the palace being named after a nearby gate. Initial construction started in 1459, ordered by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Byzantine Constantinople. The palace is a complex made up of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. At the height of its existence as a royal residence the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people.

After the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1921, Topkapi Palace was transformed by government decree on April 3, 1924 into a museum of the imperial era. The Topkapi Palace Museum is under the administration of the Ministry Of Culture and Tourism. The palace complex has hundreds of rooms and chambers, but only the most important are accessible to the public today. The complex is guarded by officials of the ministry as well as armed soldiers of the Turkish military.

The palace is full of examples of Ottoman architecture and also contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasure and jewelry.

History
The site
The palace complex is located on the Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu), a promontory overlooking the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara, with the Bosphorus in plain sight from many points of the palace. The site is hilly and one of the highest points close to the sea. During Greek and Byzantine times, the acropolis of the ancient Greek city of Byzantium stood here. Some of its remains are still visible in the area called the Second Courtyard. There is an underground Byzantine cistern located in the Second Courtyard that was used throughout Ottoman times. Remains of a small church on the acropolis have also been excavated in modern times. The nearby Church of Hagia Eirene, though located in the area now known as the First Courtyard, is not considered a part of the old Byzantine acropolis.

Initial construction
After the Ottoman conquest and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II found the imperial Byzantine Great Palace of Constantinople largely in ruins. The Ottoman court initially set itself up in the Eski Sarayi, today the site of Istanbul University. The Sultan then searched for a better location and chose the old Byzantine acropolis, ordering the construction of a new palace in 1459. It was originally called the New Palace to distinguish it from the previous residence. It received its name "Topkapi" in the 19th century, after a (now destroyed) Topkapi shore pavilion.

Layout
Sultan Mehmed II also established the basic layout of the palace. This basic layout governed the pattern of future renovations and extensions. He summoned experienced craftsmen, especially former inhabitants of Constantinople who had fled to Edirne and Bursa after the fall of the city. He used the most expensive and rare materials of that time, trying to restore the city its former glory. The palace was completed in 1465.

Contrary to other royal residences which had strict master plans, such as Schönbrunn Palace or the Palace of Versailles, Topkapi Palace developed over the course of centuries, with various sultans adding and changing various structures and elements. The resulting asymmetry is the result of this erratic growth and change over time.

Surrounding the palace is the Sea of Marmara; on the southern and western sides, the palace borders the large former imperial park, today Gülhane Park.

Topkapi Palace gradually lost its importance at the end of the 17th century, as the Sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosporus. In 1853, Sultan Abdül Mecid I decided to move his residence to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace, the first European-style palace in the city.

Imperial Gate
The main gate is called the Imperial Gate (Bâb-i Hümâyûn or Porta Augusta), also known as Gate of the Sultan (Saltanat Kapisi)[2]. This massive gate, originally dating from 1478, is now covered in 19th-century marble. The massiveness of this stone gate accentuates its defensive character. Its central arch leads to a high-domed passage. Gilded Ottoman calligraphy adorns the structure at the top, with verses from the Holy Koran and tughras of the sultans. Identified tughras are of Sultan Mehmed II and Abdül Aziz I, who renovated the gate. On each side of the hall are rooms for the guard. The gate was open from morning prayer until the last evening prayer. No one apart from viziers and foreign dignitarieswas allowed passage through the gate.

According to old documents, there was a wooden apartment above the gate area until the second half of the 19th century. It was used first as a pavilion by Mehmed, later as a depository for the properties of those who died inside the palace without heirs and eventually as the receiving department of the treasury. It was also used as a vantage point for the ladies of the harem on special occasions.

The Imperial Gate is the main entrance into the First Courtyard.

First Courtyard
The First Courtyard (I. Avlu or Alay Meydani) spans Seraglio Point and is surrounded by high walls.

In 1509 a massive earthquake destroyed these walls from the water's edge to the garden gate. They required extensive renovation. This First Courtyard functioned as an outer precinct or park. The steep slopes had already been terraced under Byzantine rule.

This court was also known as the Court of the Janissaries or the Parade Court.

The First Courtyard contains the former Imperial Mint (Darphane-i Âmire, constructed in 1727), the church of Hagia Eirene, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum (constructed during the 19th century) and various fountains, pavilions (for example, the Çinili Pavilion, or Tiled Pavilion) and gardens (including Gülhane Park, the old imperial rose garden).

The Çinili Pavilion is set within the outer walls and dates from 1473. It was built by Mehmed II as a pleasure palace.

The exterior glazed bricks show a Central Asian influence, especially from the Bibi-Khanym Mosque in Samarkand. The square, axial plan represents the four corners of the world and symbolizes, in architectural terms, the universal authority and sovereignty of the Sultan. As there is no Byzantine influence, the building is ascribed to an unknown Persian architect. The stone-framed brick and the polygonal pillars of the façade are typical of Persia. A grilled gate leads to the basement. Two flights of stairs above this gate lead to a roofed colonnaded terrace. This portico was rebuilt in the 18th century. The great door in the middle, surrounded by a tiled green arch, leads to the vestibule and then to a loftily domed court . The three royal apartments are situated behind, with the middle apartment in apsidal form.

These apartments look out over the park to the Bosphorus. The network of ribbed vaulting suggests Gothic revival architecture, but it actually adds weight to the structure instead of sustaining it. The blue-and-white tiles on the wall are arranged in hexagons and triangles in the Bursa manner. Some show delicate patterns of flowers, leaves, clouds or other abstract forms. The white plasterwork is in the Persian manner. On both wings of the domed court are eyvans, vaulted recesses open on one side. The pavilion contains many examples of Iznik tiles and Seljuk pottery and now houses the Museum of Islamic Art.

The Fountain of the Executioner is where the executioner washed his hands and sword after a decapitation. It is located on the right side in front of the Gate of Salutation

Gate of Salutation
The large Gate of Salutation ((Arabic: Bâb-üs Selâm), also known as the Middle Gate (Turkish: Orta Kapi), leads into the palace and the Second Courtyard. This crenelated gate has two large octagonal pointed towers. The date of construction of this gate is not clear, since the architecture of the towers is of Byzantine influence rather than Ottoman. An inscription at the door dates this gate to at least 1542 during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II. In a miniature painting from the Hünername from 1584, a low-roofed structure with three windows above the arch between the towers is clearly visible, probably a guards' hall that has since disappeared. Only the sultan was allowed to pass this gate on horseback. The gate is richly decorated on both sides and in the upper part with religious inscriptions and monograms of sultans.

Second Courtyard
The Second Courtyard (II. Avlu), or Divan Square (Divan Meydani) was a park full of peacocks and gazelles, used as a gathering place for courtiers[4]. Only the Sultan was allowed to ride on the black pebbled walks.

This courtyard is surrounded by the former 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 and pillars and capitals. They are on display in the Second Courtyard in front of the imperial kitchens.

Located underneath the Second Courtyard is a cistern that dates to Byzantine times. It is normally closed to the public.

Imperial carriages
Directly behind the Gate of Salutation on the northeast side the imperial carriages are exhibited in the former outer stables and harness rooms. This is a relatively low building, altered in 1735 when a new ceiling was installed. Its roof is one of the few undomed roofs to retain its 15th century shape. Many carriages were destroyed in a fire in the previous stables in the late 19th century. The carriages on display are some of the sultan's carriages including the state carriage, the carriage of the Valide Sultan (Queen Mother), and minor court carriages. Some of the carriages were foreign made vehicles that were imported for the court. Located next to the carriages to the north are the extensive palace kitchens.

Palace kitchens
The elongated palace kitchens (Saray Mutfaklari) are a prominent feature of the palace. Some of the kitchens were first built in the 15th century at the time when the palace was constructed. They were modeled on the kitchens of the Sultan's palace at Edirne. They were enlarged during the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent but burned down in 1574. The kitchens were remodeled and brought up to date according to the needs of the day by the court architect Mimar Sinan.

Rebuilt to the old plan by Sinan, they form two rows of twenty wide chimneys (added by Sinan), rising like stacks from a ship from domes on octagonal drums. The kitchens are arranged on an internal street stretching between the Second Courtyard and the Sea of Marmara. The entrance to this section is through the three doors in the portico of the Second Courtyard: the Imperial commissariat (lower kitchen) door, imperial kitchen door and the confectionery kitchen door.

The palace kitchens consist of ten domed buildings: Imperial kitchen, Enderûn (palace school), Harem (women’s quarters), Birûn (out service section of the palace), kitchens, beverages kitchen, confectionery kitchen, creamery, storerooms and rooms for the cooks. They were the largest kitchens in the Ottoman empire. The meals for the Sultan, the residents of the Harem, Enderûn and Birûn (the inner and outer services of the palace) were prepared here. Food was prepared for about 4,000 people. The kitchen staff consisted of more than 800 people, rising to 1,000 on religious holidays. As many as 6,000 meals a day could be prepared.

Porcelain and celadon collection
Apart from exhibiting the kitchen utensils, today the buildings contain the world's third largest collections of Chinese blue-and-white, white, and celadon porcelain. Chinese and Far East porcelain was highly valued and was transported by camel caravans over the Silk Road or by sea. The 10,700 pieces of Chinese, Japanese and Turkish porcelain displayed here are rare and precious. [5] The Chinese porcelain collection ranges from the late Song Dynasty (13th c.) and the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368), through the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). This museum also contains one of the world's largest collections of 14th-century Longquan celadon. The collection has around 3,000 pieces of Yuan and Ming Dynasty celadons[6]. Those celadon were valued by the Sultan and the Queen Mother because it was supposed to change colour if the food or drink it carried was poisoned[7]. The Japanese collection is mainly Imari porcelain, dating from the 17th to the 19th century. Further parts of the collection include white porcelain from the beginning of the 15th century and "imitation" Blue-and-White and Imari porcelain from Annam, Thailand and Persia .

Imperial Council
The Imperial Council (Divan-i Hümâyûn) building is where the Divan, the Imperial Council, consisting of the Grand Vizier (Pasa Kapisi), viziers, and other leading officials of the Ottoman state, held meetings. It is also called Kubbealti, which means "under the dome", in reference to the dome in the council main hall. It is situated in the northwestern corner of the courtyard next to the Gate of Felicity. It was constructed in the 15th century by the architect-in-chief Alseddin, by the order of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. This place lost its importance after the 18th century, when the Grand Viziers had started to run the affairs of state independently. At this time, important state issues were transferred to the Sublime Porte (Bâb-i Âli) of the Grand Viziers.

The council hall has multiple entrances both from inside the palace and from the courtyard. The porch consists of multiple marble and porphyr pillars, with an ornate green and white-coloured wooden ceiling decorated with gold. The floor is covered in marble. The entrances into the hall from outside are in the rococo style, with gilded grills to admit natural light. While the pillars are earlier Ottoman style, the wall paintings and decorations are from the later rococo period. Inside, the Imperial Council building consists of three adjoining main rooms. Two of the three domed chambers of this building open into the porch and the courtyard. The Divanhane, built with a wooden portico at the corner of the Divan Court ("Divan Meydani") in the 15th century, was later used as the mosque of the council but was eventually removed in 1916.

1) The first chamber where the Imperial Council held its deliberations is the Kubbealti.

2) The second chamber was occupied by the secretarial staff of the Imperial Divan.

3) In the adjacent third chamber called Deferhane, records were kept by the head clerks. The last room also served as an archive in which documents were kept.

The Kubbealti, which suffered damage during the Great Harem Fire of 1665, was restored by the order of Sultan Mehmed IV. On its façade are verse inscriptions which mention the restoration work carried out in 1792 and 1819, namely under Sultan Selim III and Mahmud II. The rococo decorations on the façade and inside the Imperial Council date from this period.

In the Imperial Council meetings the political, administrative and religious affairs of the state and important concerns of the citizens were discussed. The Imperial Council normally met four times a week. The meetings of the Imperial Council were run according to an elaborate and strict protocol. The council members, the Grand Vizier, the viziers, and the Chief Military Judges of Anatolia and Rumelia met here to discuss the affairs of the state and submitted their resolutions to the Sultan. They also held court hearings. Sometimes the Grand Müfti (Sheikh al-Islam) also took part in important meetings. The other officials of the Council were the Nisanci (officers whose duty it was to inscribe the Sultan’s imperial monogram on imperial letters) and the Minister of Finance (Defterdar), the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Reis-ül-Küttab), the officials charged with the duty of writing official memoranda (Tezkereciler), and the clerks recording the resolutions.

It was also here that the Grand Vizier received ambassadors and wedding ceremonies of the Sultan’s daughters were held.

The fountain in the middle of the room, when running, enabled secret conversations to be held. From the window with the golden grill the Sultan or the Valide Sultan was able to follow deliberations of the council without being noticed. The window could be reached by the adjacent Tower of Justice (Adalet Kulesi).

Tower of Justice
The Tower of Justice (Adalet Kulesi) is located in-between the Imperial Council and the Harem. The tower is several stories high and the tallest structure in the palace, clearly visible from the Bosphorus. Sultan Mahmud II rebuilt the lantern of the tower in 1825 while retaining the Ottoman base (attributed to Mehmed II). The tall windows with engaged columns and the Renaissance pediments evoke the Palladian style.

Armory Exhibition Hall
The present Armory Exhibition Hall (Silah Seksiyonu Sergi Salonu) was formerly the inner treasury of the Ottoman Empire. It is a hall built of stone and brick with eight domes, each 5 x 11.40 m. It was transformed into a museum in 1928, displaying a rich collection of about 400 weapons (dating between the 7th and the 19th c.) from several countries, including swords of many Sultans. The collection shows the sword of Sultan Mehmed II. It also includes samurai armor, a present from Japan to the Sultan. During excavations in 1937 in front of this building, remains of a religious Byzantine building dating from the fifth century were found. Since it could not be identified with any of the churches known to have been built on the palace site, it is now known as "the Basilica of the Topkapi Palace".

Gate of Felicity
The Gate of Felicity (Bâbüssaâde or Bab-üs Saadet) was originally constructed in the 15th century.

This monumental gate is the entrance into the Inner Court (Enderûn), also known as the Third Courtyard, comprising of the strictly private and residential areas of the palace. It represents the presence of the Sultan in 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.

It was redecorated in the rococo style in 1774 under Sultan Mustafa III and during the reign of Mahmud II.

The Sultan used this gate and the Divan Meydani square only on special ceremonies. The Sultan sat before the gate on his Bayram throne on religious, festive days and accession when the subjects and officials perform their homage standing. The funerals of the Sultan were also conducted in front of the gate.

On either side of this passage under control of the Chief Eunuch of the Sultan’s Harem (called the Bâbüssaâde Agasi) and the staff under him were the quarters of the eunuchs as well as the small and large rooms of the palace school.

The small, indented stone on the ground in front of the gate marks the place where the banner of the Prophet Muhammad was unfurled. The Grand Vizier or the commander going to war was entrusted with this banner in a solemn ceremony.

Third Courtyard
Beyond the Gate of Felicity is the Third Courtyard (III. Avlu), also called the Inner Palace (Enderûn Avlusu), which is the heart of the palace, where the Sultan spent his days outside the harem[9]. It is a lush garden surrounded by the Hall of the Privy Chamber (Has Oda) occupied by the palace officials, the treasury (which contains some of the most important treasures of the Ottoman age, including the Sacred Trusts), the Harem and some pavilions, with the library of Ahmed III in the center.

The Third Courtyard is surrounded by the quarters of the Agas (pages), boys in the service of the sultan. They were taught the Arts, such as music, painting and calligraphy. The best could become Has Odali Aga (Keepers of the Holy Relics of the Prophet and personal servants of the Sultan), or even become officers or high-ranking officials.

Audience Chamber
The Audience Chamber, also known as Audience Hall or Chamber of Petitions (Arz Odasi) is located right behind the Gate of Felicity. It is an old building, dating from the 15th century, renovated in 1723 by Sultan Ahmed III and rebuilt in its present form after it was destroyed by fire in 1856. This square building is surrounded by a colonnade of 22 columns, supporting the large roof. The Sultan, sitting on his gilded throne, covered with embroidery and encrusted with gems and pearls, received here the Grand Vizier and the Council members, who presented their resolutions for ratification, high-ranking officials and foreign ambassadors. There is a small fountain at the entrance, used to prevent others from overhearing secret conversations in this room[10]. Behind the Audience Chamber on the eastern side is the Dormitory of the Expeditionary Force.

Dormitory of the Expeditionary Force
The Dormitory of the Expeditionary Force (Seferli Kogusu) houses the Imperial Wardrobe Collection (Padishah Elbiseleri Koleksiyonu) with a valuable costume collection of about 2,500 garments, the majority precious kaftans of the Sultans. It also houses a collection of 360 ceramic objects.

The dormitory was constructed under Sultan Murad IV in 1635. The building was restored by Sultan Ahmed III in the early 18th century. The dormitory is vaulted and is supported by 14 columns. Adjacent to the dormitory, located northeast is the Conqueror's Pavilion.

Conqueror’s Pavilion
The Conqueror’s Pavilion, also called the Conqueror's Kiosk (Fatih Köskü) and the arcade of the pavilion in front is one of the pavilions built under Sultan Mehmed II and one of the oldest buildings inside the palace. It was built circa in 1460, when the palace was first constructed, and was also used to store works of art and treasure. It houses the Imperial Treasury (Hazine-i Âmire)[12].

The pavilion originally consisted of three rooms, a terrace overlooking the Sea of Marmara, a basement and adjoining hamam, or Turkish bath. It consists of two floors raised on a terrace above the garden, built at the top of promontory on a cliff with a magnificent view from its porch on the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus. The lower floor consisted of service rooms, while the upper floor was a suite of four apartments and a large loggia with double arches. The first two rooms are covered with a dome of considerable height. All the rooms open onto the Third Courtyard through a monumental arcade. The colonnaded portico on the side of the garden is connected to each of the four halls by a door of imposing height. The capitals of the imposing capitals are shrunken Ionic in form and date probably from the 18th century. The pavilion was used as the treasury for the revenues from Egypt under Sultan Selim I. Before this period, under Mehmed II and Bayezid II, these apartments must have been the most agreeable rooms in the palace. During excavations in the basement, a small Byzantine baptistery built along a trefoil plan was found.

Imperial Treasury
The Imperial Treasury is a vast collection of works of art, jewelry, heirlooms of sentimental value and money belonging to the Ottoman dynasty. Since the palace became a museum, the same rooms have been used to exhibit these treasures. Most of the objects in the Imperial Treasury consisted of gifts, spoils of war, or pieces produced by palace craftsmen. The Chief Treasurer (Hazinedarbasi) was responsible for the Imperial Treasury. Upon their accession to the throne, it was customary for the sultans to pay a ceremonial visit to the Treasury.

The objects exhibited in the Imperial Treasury today are a representative selection of its contents, which mainly consist of jeweled objects made of gold and other precious materials. Among the many treasuries that are on exhibition in four adjoining rooms, the first room houses one the armours of Sultan Mustafa III, consisting of an iron coat of mail decorated with gold and encrusted with jewels, his gilded sword and shield and gilded stirrups. The next display shows several Holy Koran covers belonging to the sultans, decorated with pearls. The ebony throne of Murad IV is inlaid with nacre and ivory. The golden Indian music box, with a gilded elephant on top, dates from the 17th century. In other cabinets are looking glasses decorated with rare gems, precious stones, emeralds and cut diamonds.

The second room houses the Topkapi Dagger. The golden hilt is ornamented with three large emeralds, topped by a golden watch with an emerald lid. The golden sheath is covered with diamonds and enamel. In 1747, the Sultan Mahmud I had this dagger made for Nadir Shah of Persia, but the Shah was assassinated before the emissary had left the Ottoman Empire's boundaries and so the Sultan retained it. This dagger was the subject of the film Topkapi. In the middle of the second room stands the walnut throne of Ahmed I, inlaid with nacre and tortoise shell, built by Sedefhar Mehmet Aga. Below the baldachin hangs a golden pendant with a large emerald. The next displays show the ostentatious aigrettes of the sultans and their horses, studded with diamonds, emeralds and rubies. A jade bowl, shaped like a vessel, was a present of the Czar Nicholas II of Russia.

The most eye-catching jewel in the third room is the Spoonmaker's Diamond, set in silver and surrounded in two ranks with 49 cut diamonds. Legend has it, that this diamond was bought by a vizier in a bazaar, the owner thinking it was a worthless piece of crystal. Amongst the exhibits are two large golden candleholders, weighing each 48 kg and mounted with 6666 cut diamonds, a present of Sultan Abdülmecid I to the Kaaba in the holy city of Mecca. They were brought back to Istanbul shortly before the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the loss of control over Mecca. The golden ceremonial Bayram throne, mounted with tourmalines, was made in 1585 by order of the vizier Ibrahim Pasha and presented to Sultan Murad III. This throne would be set up in front of the Gate of Felicity on special audiences.

The throne of Sultan Mahmud I is the centerpiece of the fourth room. This golden throne in Indian style, decorated with pearls and emeralds, was a gift of the Persian ruler Nader Shah in the 18th century. Another rather curious exhibit shows the forearm and the hand of St. John the Baptist, set in a golden covering. Several displays show an assembly of flintlock guns, swords, spoons, all decorated with gold and jewels. Of special interest is the golden shrine that used to contain the cloak of the prophet Mohammed.

As of 2007, taking photographs in this hall is strictly forbidden. Permission for research purposes has to be granted before by the authorities.

Miniature and Portrait Gallery
Adjacent to the north of the Imperial Treasury lie the pages dormitory, which have been turned into the Miniature and Portrait Gallery (Müzesi Müdüriyeti). On the lower floor is a collection of important calligraphies and miniatures. In the displays one can see old and very precious korans (12th-17th c.), hand-painted and hand-written in Kufic and also a bible from the 4th century, written in Arabic. A priceless item of this collection is the first world map by the Turkish admiral Piri Reis (1513). The map shows part of the western coasts of Europe and North Africa with reasonable accuracy, and the coast of Brazil is also easily recognizable. The upper part of the gallery contains 37 portraits of different sultans, most of which are copies since the original paintings are too delicate to be shown public. The portrait of Mehmed II was painted by the Venetian painter Gentile Bellini. Other precious Ottoman miniature paintings that are either kept in this gallery, the palace library or in other parts are the Hünername, Sahansahname, the Sarayi Albums, Siyer-i Nebi, Surname-i Hümayun, Surname-i Vehbi, and the Süleymanname amongst many others[13]

Enderûn Library (Library of Ahmed III)
The Neo-classical Enderûn Library (Enderûn Kütüphanesi), also known as Library of Sultan Ahmed III (III. Ahmed Kütüphanesi), is situated directly behind the Audience Chamber (Arz Odasi) in the centre of the Third Court. It was built on the foundations of the earlier Havuzlu kiosk by the royal architect Mimar Besir Aga in 1719 on orders of Sultan Ahmed III for the use of the officials of the royal household. The colonnade of this earlier kiosk now probably stands in front of the present Treasury. The library is a beautiful example of Ottoman architecture of the 18th century. The exterior of the building is faced with marble. The library has the form of a Greek cross with a domed central hall and three rectangular bays. The fourth arm of the cross consists of the porch that can be approached by a flight of stairs on either side. Beneath the central arch of the portico is an elaborate drinking fountain with niches on each side. The building is set on a low basement to protect the precious books of the library against moisture. The walls above the windows are decorated with 16th - 17th century Iznik tiles of variegated design. The central dome and the vaults of the rectangular bays have been painted. The decoration inside the dome and vaults are typical of the so-called Tulip Era, which lasted from 1703-1730. The books were stored in cupboards in the walls. The niche opposite the entrance was the private reading corner of the sultan.

The library contained books on theology, Islamic law and similar works of scholarship in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic and Persian. In those days the library contained more than 3,500 manuscripts. Some are fine examples of inlay work with nacre and ivory. Today these books are kept in the Mosque of the Agas (Agalar Camii), which is located next to the library in the western direction. One of the important items is the so-called Topkapi manuscript, a copy of the Holy Koran from the time of the third Caliph Uthman Ibn Affan.

Mosque of the Agas
The Mosque of the Agas (Agalar Camii) is the largest mosque in the palace. It is also one of the oldest constructions, dating from the 15th century during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II. The Sultan, the agas and pages would come here to pray. The mosque is aligned in a diagonal line in the courtyard, in order to make the minbar face towards Mecca. In 1928 the books of the Enderûn Library amongst other works were moved here as the Palace Library (Sarayi Kütüphanesi), housing a collection of about 13,500 Turkish, Arabic, Persian and Greek books and manuscripts, collected by the Ottomans. Located next to the mosque to the northeast is the Imperial Portraits Collection.

Dormitory of the Royal Pages
The Dormitory of the Royal Pages (Hasoda Kogusu) houses the Imperial Portraits Collection (Padisah Portreleri Sergi Salonu) is located in the , which were part of the Sultan's chambers. The painted portraits depict all the Ottoman sultans and some rare photographs of the later ones, the latter being kept in glass cases. The room is air-conditioned and the temperature regulated and monitored to protect the paintings. Since the sultans rarely showed themselves in public and in order to respect Islamic sensitivities surrounding the artistic depictions of humans, the earlier portraits of them are actually only an idealisation, they do not reflect the reality. Only starting with the rule of the moderniser Sultan Mahmud II and his modern reforms were realistic portraits of the rulers made. An interesting feature is a large painted family tree of the Ottoman rulers.

Privy Chamber
The Privy Chamber houses the Chamber of the Sacred Relics (Kutsal Emanetler Dairesi), which includes the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle. The chamber was constructed by Sinan under the reign of Sultan Murad III. It used to house offices of the Sultan. It houses the cloak of the prophet Muhammad, his sword, one tooth, a hair of his beard, his battle sabres, an autographed letter and other relics which are known as the Sacred Trusts. Several other sacred objects are on display, such as the swords of the first four Caliphs, the staff of Moses, the turban of Joseph and a carpet of the daughter of Mohammed. Even the Sultan and his family were permitted entrance only once a year, on the 15th day of Ramadan, during the time when the palace was a residence. Now any visitor can see these items and many Muslims come on pilgrimage for this purpose.

The Arcade of the Chamber of the Holy Mantle was added in the reign of Murad III, but was altered when the Circumcision Room was added. This arcade may have been built on the site of the Temple of Poseidon, that was transformed before the 10th century into the Church of St. Menas.

Harem




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[15]. There are approximately 300 rooms of which only about twenty are open to the public. The Harem housed as many as 500 people, which sometimes amounted up to 300 women, their children, and the eunuchs. The harem wing was only added at the end of the 16th century. Many of the rooms and features in the Harem were designed by Sinan. The harem was decorated again under the sultans Mahmud I and Osman III in an Italian-inspired Ottoman Baroque style. These decorations contrast with those of the Ottoman classical age.

One enters the harem through the Gate of Carts (Arabalar Kapisi), located at the end of the Second Court, leading into the Domed Cupboard Room (Dolapli Kubbe). Empty shelves and cupboards used to keep the records of deeds written by the eunuchs.

Hall of the Ablution Fountain
The Hall of the Ablution Fountain (Sadirvanli Sofa) was renovated after the Harem fire of 1666. This second great fire took place on 24 July 1665. This space was an entrance hall into the Harem, which was guarded by the Harem eunuchs. The Büyük Binis, and the Sal Kapisi, which connected the Harem, the Privy Garden, the Mosque of the Harem Eunuchs and the Tower of Justice from where the Sultan watched the deliberations of the imperial council, led to this place. The walls are riveted with 17th century Kütahya tiles. The horse block in front of the mosque served the Sultan to mount his horse and the sitting benches were for the guards. The fountain that gives the space its name is now in the pool of the Privy Chamber of Sultan Murad III.

On the left side is the small mosque of the black eunuchs. The tiles in watery green, dirty white and middle blue all date from the 17th century (reign of Sultan Mehmed IV). Their design is of a high artistic level but the execution is of minor quality compared to previous tiles.

Courtyard of the Eunuchs
Another door leads to the Courtyard of the (Black) Eunuchs, with on the left side their apartments. At the end of the court is the apartment of the black chief eunuch (Kizlar Agasi), the fourth high-ranking official in the official protocol. In-between lies the school for the imperial princes with precious tiles from the 17th and 18th centuries and gilded wainscoting. At the end of the court is the main gate to the harem (Cümle Kapisi). The narrow corridor on the left side leads to the apartments of the odalisques (white slaves given as a gift to the sultan).

Eunuchs at the Ottoman court were preferably taken from Africa, especially Sudan. Since lighter skin was considered more aesthetic than dark skin, the sultans felt the chances of an affair developing between their, mostly Eastern European, concubines and their dark-skinned eunuch caretakers extremely low.

Passage of Concubines
The Passage of Concubines (Cariye Koridoru) leads into the Courtyard of the Sultan's Chief Consorts and Concubines. On the counters along the passage, the eunuchs placed the dishes they brought from the kitchens in the palace

Courtyard of the Sultan's Consorts and the Concubines
The Courtyard of the Sultan's Consorts and the Concubines (Kadin Efendiler Tasligi / Cariye Tasligi) was constructed at the same time as the courtyard of the eunuchs in the middle of the 16th century. It underwent restoration after the 1665 fire and is the smallest courtyard of the Harem. The porticoed courtyard is surrounded by baths, a laundry fountain, a laundry, dormitories and the apartments of the Sultan's chief consort. The three independent tiled apartments with fireplaces overlooking the Golden Horn were the quarters where the consorts of the Sultan lived. These constructions covered the site of the courtyard in the late 16th century. At the entrance to the quarters of the Queen Mother, wall frescoes from the late 18th century depicting landscapes, reflect the western influence. The staircase, called the "Forty Steps" (Kirkmerdiven), leads to the Hospital of the Harem (Harem Hastanesi), the dormitories of the concubines at the basement of the Harem and Harem Gardens.

Role of the concubines
For the perpetuation of the dynasty and service to the Ottoman Dynasty, beautiful and intelligent girls were brought in from the neighbouring countries to become imperial concubines (Cariyes). The concubines who were introduced into the Harem in their tender age were brought up in the disciplines of the Palace. They were promoted according to their capacities and became Kaftas and Ustas. The concubine, with whom the Sultan shared his bed, became a member of the dynasty and rose in rank to attain the status of Gözde (the Favourite) or Kadinefendi (one of the Sultan’s consorts). The highest position herself was the Queen Mother (Valide Sultan), the mother of the Sultan, who herself used to be a concubine of the Sultan’s father and rose to the supreme rank in the Harem. No concubine could leave or enter the premises of the Harem without the explicit permission of the Queen Mother. The powers of the Queen Mother even extended to questions of life and death of a concubine, with eunuchs directly reporting to her. The concubines either lived in the halls beneath the apartments of the Consorts, Queen Mother and the Sultan, or in separate chambers. The Kadinefendis who had borne children to the Sultan and whose number varied between four to eight formed the group which was next in rank to the Queen Mother.

Apartments of the Queen Mother
The Apartments of the Queen Mother (Valide Sultan Dairesi) consists of forty rooms of the Valide Sultan (mother of the ruling sultan), which were also rebuilt in 1667 after the second fire. Some rooms, such as the small music room, have been added to this section in the 18th century. Only two of these rooms are open to the public : the dining room with, in the upper gallery, the reception room and her bedroom with, behind a lattice work, a niche for prayer. These are all enriched with blue-and-white or yellow-and-green tiles with flowery motifs and Iznik porcelain. The panel representing Mecca or Medina, signed by Osman Iznikli Mehmetoglu, represents a new style in Iznik tiles. The paintwork in the dining room was executed by foreigners during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid I.

Baths of the Sultan and the Queen Mother
The next rooms are the Baths of the Sultan and the Queen Mother (Hünkâr ve Vâlide Hamamlari). This double bath dates from the late 16th century and consists of multiple rooms. It was redecorated in the rococo style in the middle of the 18th century. Both baths present the same design, consisting of a caldarium, a tepidarium and a frigidarium. Each room either has a dome, or the ceilings are at some point glassed in a honeycomb structure to let the natural sunlight in. The floor is clad in white and grey marble. The marble tub with an ornamental fountain in the caldarium and the gilded iron grill are characteristic features. The golden lattice w