Topkapi Palace

The Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi in Turkish, literally the "Cannongate Palace" - named after a nearby gate), is located on the Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu), a promontory overlooking the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, having a view of the Bosphorus. It consists of a conglomeration of many smaller buildings and four courts. It was built on the site of the old acropolis of the ancient Greek city of Byzantium. After the fall of Constantinople, it became the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire from 1465 to 1853 as well as the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans. Up to 4,000 people resided in the palace.

It was originally called the "New Palace" to distinguish it from the previous residence, the Eski Sarayi, today's site of Istanbul University. It was named "Topkapi" in the 19th century, after a (now destroyed) Topkapi shore pavilion. The name Topkapi is written with the Turkish character " i", pronounced as "u" as in "church".

A few years after his conquest of Constantinople, the construction of a new palace was ordered by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1459, who also established the layout of the palace. This layout governed the pattern of future renovations. He summoned experienced craftsmen, especially former inhabitants from Constantinople who had fled to Edirne and Bursa after the fall of the city. He used the most expensive and rare materials, trying to restore the city its former glory.

The palace was completed in 1465. The palace is full of examples of Ottoman style architecture and also owns large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armors, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and mural decorations, as well as a display of accumulated Ottoman treasures and jewelry.

The 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 Abdülmecid decided to move his residence to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace, the first European-style palace in the city. The Topkapi Palace was transformed into a museum for the imperial era by government decree on April 3, 1924, and is now one of Istanbul's greatest tourist attractions. The Topkapi Palace Museum is under the administration of the Turkish Ministy Of Culture and Tourism. The palace complex has over hundreds of rooms and chambers, only the most important ones are accesible to the public today. The complex is guarded by officials of the ministry as well as armed soldiers of the Military of Turkey.

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