TOPKAPI Palace, Ottomans, Harem. eunuchs, diamonds, opulence

Sunday March 13


Majestic Gates at the front of Topkapi Palace. Only the
reigning sultan and the Sultan's mother were
allowed to ride throught these on horesback.

 
 

A beautiful sunny day and EVERYONE in Istanbul must have decided to go out after a few weeks of dismal weather. The crowds were huge and it isn't even summer yet!!! I decide to visit Topkapi Palace today. One needs at least half a day to do it justice, so I thought before the tourist crowds were too large I would set off. Caught the dolmus to Karikoy, ferry to Eminonu, tram to Sultanamet and walkeed dwn passed the Haghia Sofia (which I need another day to visit) around to the Topkapi Palace. Had my first encounter with a NICE young Turkish man!!! After a little chat as I kept walking towards the palace, he made the offer of teaching me Turkish and I could teach him English, I told him that my students were teaching me Turkish, thankyou, NO, I didn't need a Turkish teacher. By the time we got to the Palace gates, it was obviously off limits for him and his harrassment, so he departed! The security was very strict, which is good as there are some absolutely priceless articles inside. Go to this website to get a brief overview of the Palace.

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Sights/Sultanahmet/TopkapiSaray.html



View of Topkapi Palace from
 ferry on Bosphorus

 It is not as one would imagine  a palace, but rather a series of large tree/garden courtyards with various amazing pavilions built for various purposes for the royal Ottoman households. The fourth courtyard was for the inner sanctum of family. Amazing how much power the Sultans mother had over the whole show too!!!!


Gate of Felicity-
Entrance to the third Courtyard







The sultans wives lived in thes rooms
Those that bore him a son
had the rooms with a view- top right!



The Harem certainly is an incredible place. The lifestyle that the women, slaves, eunuchs and sultans lived was utterly amazing. It is all built from stone and was very cold. There were some large open fireplaces in some of the rooms, but I suppose there would have been plenty of bodies around. The tiles, predominately blues and whites are truly beautiful.




Stone Path through Harem

  

These stone paths through the Harem
were so the Sultans horse would not slip
 on a smooth surface

Bath inside Sultan's private room


  

The Treasury, built in 1460 by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1460, is where all the precious objects, clothing and jewels are housed. Unfortunately no cameras are allowed but it and Harem are certainly the highlights of Topkapi. Inside I saw the Topkapi Dagger (1741) which is a jewel encrusted dagger with 3 ENORMOUS emeralds on the handle of the sheath and many beautiful diamonds covering it. The Spoonmaker's diamond is unbelievable- 86carats, girls! Gianormous tear-shaped diamond surrounded by several dozen smaller ones. its behind galss, as is everything else, but with a guard by its side! Had no chance of grabbing it to hang around my neck!! It was apparently originally found on a rubbish dump! and purchased by a street peddlar for 3 spoons, hence its name. There are also 2 very tall exquiste gold candlestiks, over a metre tall, amazing. There were some thrones, ebony and ivory, gold and objects with many precious and semi-precious stones. Other objects and clothing with masses of seed pearls and gold thread, also a gold cradle. Certainly all beautiful and mind-boggling.

View across Bosphorus to the Asian side where I live

The lovers wouldn't get out of the
way to give me a clear shot



View across to Taksim area- Galata Tower

 "The view from Topkapi over Bosphorus is beautiful. My photography doesn't do it justice, "had to be there"!!!!!
Having trouble loading photos here, will try later!
I went through the room that houses all the sultans portraits. They have some wonderful ones of the family tree with all the sultans, sadly I couldn't take a photo and there were no pictures in the souvenir shop, but it was wonderful.
Altogether a fantastic day, the history is amazing.
I wandered around the gardens and into various other pavilions, took some photos of the ships sailing one by one up the Bosphorus and the sauntered back through Sultanamet to the tram and then the ferry ride home.

Quite exhausting, taking in all that history.