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One of the largest museums in the world, for more than four hundred years Topkapi was... the residence of the sultans. Now here they expose sultans’ countless treasures and to visit Topkapi is like to walk through Buckingham Palace. With only one difference: Topkapi is not just a castle, but a few castles located in a huge park. All this is doubled by the fact that just beyond the wall separating the sultanate from the lands of mere mortals there immediately begins a beautiful park - Gulhane, where hundreds of rare flowers and plants grow and exotic birds live in the crowns of giant trees...
Topkapi Palace was not accidentally the residence of sultans. The new owners of Constantinople who renamed the city into Istanbul, led a nomadic life. And the walls of houses were too small for the sultans. Therefore they preferred to live in large pavilions outdoors. Eventually the castles were built, but the habit to move under the tent for at least a couple of months in a year the rulers of the Ottoman Porte had kept. You will find this out when you get into the inner park of the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul and see the place where these tents were placed.
Generally, Topkapi is a whole complex of buildings. The richest of them - we are talking about the exhibits of course - is the central palace. The one where the sultans lived. Among the exhibits of the palace there are hundreds of precious stones, really enormous in the literal sense. Therefore, inside Topkapi you will be asked not to photograph, but if you want images of treasures as a souvenir, you can buy albums at the exit. Except sapphires, diamonds and emeralds of unprecedented size in Topkapi there are lots of expensive blades, small arms museum with two-handed swords of crusaders, expensive samurai armor and sultans’ swords. Do I have to say that all these weapons are richly decorated with jewels? Among the halls there is one which collects the gifts from the sultans of all the courts in Europe and Russia of 19, 18, 17 and 16 centuries.
The second pavilion to go - it is situated perpendicular to the main palace - is the so-called Kitchen (or Second) Palace. Here are stored huge collections of Chinese and Japanese porcelain where food was served to the sultans and their courtiers. You’ll also see the huge furnace where they prepared food for the entire court of the Sultan and his servants. It is almost for ten thousand people several times a day!
From the dishes move to the pavilion of sacred relics. There is always playing quiet spiritual music and special Mullah is reading the sayings from the Koran. Here you will see relics brought to Istanbul from Mecca and Cairo at a time when the Ottoman Empire was the center of the Muslim world. This is the Mantle of the Prophet in a golden casket, hair from the beard of Muhammad and the foot imprint. Also here are the swords of the first Caliphs and the letter being dictated by Mohammed himself! Besides Muslim, Christian relics are also stored here. These are remains of the skull of the Apostle Peter, the right hand of John the Baptist and much more.
Finally, in the third palace you will see everything that is connected with the family of the Sultan. The clothes of princes of the Ottoman Empire, Topkapi’s treasury with dagger, the diamond of 86 carats, the throne of gold decorated with rubies and emeralds - it is a gift from Persian Shah - plates, snuff-boxes, weapons, samovar - everything made of gold.
Oh, and Topkapi’s "zest" is its harem. The place where anyone is not allowed but the sultan and his wives. Now it’s possible, and this lucky guy is you. In the harem you will see how the sweethearts of rulers of Istanbul lived...
Topkapi Palace is open every day except Tuesday, from 9:00 till 16:00. Entrance fee - 20 Turkish lira (TL), about $13.
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