WITHIN THE ROYAL WALLS:
TOPKAPI PALACE
Sur- i-Sultani is the place
within the royal walls that encompasses Topkapi Palace and its environs. The
walls surrounding the gardens f Topkapi Palace were commissioned by Sultan
Mehmet the Conqueror. The seaward aspect of the gardens of was surrounded by
the Byzantine sea walls.
The gardens o Topkapi Palac are home to several major
Byzantine and Ottoman buildings and museums. The most important of them all is
Topkapi Palace, which was the residence of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years:
The Topkapi Palace was built on the prime site of the historical peninsula of
Istanbul with commanding views of the Sea of Marmara as well as the Istanbul
Strait. The architecture of Topkapi Palace was not similar to that of European
palaces.The Ottoman sultans paid great attention to building grandiose
religious buildings, while they kept the architecture of their own residences
quite plain, just enough to meet their needs. This was probably due to the
influence of Islamic thought.
Topkapi Palace was the centre
of imperial administration as well as the residence of the sultan and his
wives. The spectacular ceremonies in
which the sultan and all the high officers of the Ottoman state took part with all their regalia during
important festivities and the audience ceremonies granted to an ambassador, as
well as execution of the death penalty of any high state officer, all took place
in this place. It was therefore a place that witnesses almost all of the most
important events in the history of Ottoman Empire.
Topkapi Palace, the first
place to visit on arrival in Istanbul, is actually not a single building but a
complex of individual buildings set out on a large garden. Its history cannot
be restricted to a single period.While its construction was started on the
orders of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, he died before its completion. The
initial building was completed in 1478 during the reign of Sultan Bayezid II
and over the next 400 years the palace was enlarged by adding new buildings
according to the needs of the period as a residence and administrative centre.
Towards the mid-19th century the sultans preferred the new palaces
along the Istanbul Strait such as Dolmabahce, Beylerbeyu and Ciragan,
however ,
Topkapi was never abandoned as it also housed the Chamber of Sacred Relics,
which was regurlarly maintained and repaired . Also, many state officials
continued to live in the palace.
Topkapi Palace could be
reached by walking through the square between Ayasofya and Sultan Ahmet Mosque.
Before gaining entry to the palace grounds, the visitors are welcomed by the
Fountain of Sultan Ahmet III. The importance given to water by the Turks has
always been quite special. Satisfying the thirst of a living creature is
considered as one of the bestdeeds a human being can commit. In accordance with
that belief you will find fountains in unexpected places throughout Anatlia.
Fountains have also been seen as symbols of cleanliness.
The Seljuk and Ottoman
states therefore built and decorated monumental fountains wherever they gained
control r established a new settlement. As we have mentioned above, one of the
shortcomings of the geographical location of Istanbul was its inadequate water
resources in the vicinity. Unlike the Byzantines, who had built cisterns to
collect water, the Ottomans opted to bring running water to fountains and they
built monumental fountains. This was the consequences of the belief that
running water as cleaner than still water. The most monumental fountains of the
Ottomans- as you may have guessed already – were built in Istanbul.
In the old
days there were more than 10000 fountains in the city and while many of them no
longer exist, the most spectacular have survived. Built in 1728, the fountain
of Sultan Ahmet III is probably the finest example in Istanbul and indeed in
the whole territory of the empire. On the walls of the fountain are poems and
eulogies inscribed in the Ottoman Turkish.
As you pass this bedazzling
fountain you will see in front of you a monumental portal: this is the
Bab-i-Humayun (The imperial Gate) ,which was the main entrance to the palace
during the Ottoman Period and remains so today. The gate was built during the
reign of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror and the apartment on the top floor of the
gatehouse is the Beytulmal (the property of the Islamic state) offices which
take in the belongings of the palace officials who died without an heir for
safekeeping before transferring them to the Imperial Treasury.
After entering through the
Bab-Humanyun, the first courtyard that welcomes you is the Alay Meydani (Parade
Ground) of the Topkapi Palace was forbidden to ordinary people. However, on
certain days the first courtyard was open to the public, when people could gain
access to officials to pursue their business and put forward complaints. The
tree-lined avenue leading towards the Bab-us Selam( Gate of Salutation) was the
road used when Ottoman sultans left palace for war, when foreign embassies were
welcomed and when baksheesh was distributed
during a sultan’s enthronement was distributed during a sultan’s
enthronement ceremony. So the road was the first witness of many important events
in Ottoman history.
In the first courtyard there
are other Byzzantine and Ottoman buildings. The Aya Irini ( Hagia Irene) church
was one of the first Byzantine churches built during the reign of Constantine
and it was burnt down during the Nika Revolt in 532. The emperor rebuilt the
church just ik Ayasofya .Because of its architectural perfection the Aya Irini
has outstanding acoustic features; no surprisingly, it is a preferred location
for concerts. If you visit the city during the Istanbul Music Festival you can
enjoy an audio feast in that historical building. It is closed at other times
and can only be visited with special permission.
Behind the Aya Irini Church is
another important building that has survived to the present day: the Darphane-I
Amire ( Imperial Mint) . Minting Ottoman coins and then the coins of the
Turkish Republic continued here until 1967. The buildings has workshops for
casting, rolling, blanking and die stamping, as well as repairing and mould
preparation units. There were also workshops used for the production of
precious items and jewellery.
The road leads from Bab-I
Humayun to another gate which, on both sides, has 2 towers resembling a
medieval castle. This is the Bab-us Selam Kapisi (gate of Salutation)
connecting 2 courtyards. The gate is opended to the second courtyard where you
cannot fail to notice the ticket offices and x –ray security devices mounted on
high platforms.
These were actually designed to provide vantage points for high
state officials and military officers who took part in the Divan (Imperial Council)
meetings.
The second courtyard is named
the Divan Meydani (Courtyard of the Imperial Council). Ulufe , the quarterly
wages of the soldiers of Ottoman military , was distributed from this square.
The audiences of the embassies were also held in this courtyard. As in the
first courtyard, here a road (the Vizier’s Road) leads to the Divan –I Humayun (Chamber
of Imperial Council) and the Bab-is Saade (Gate of Felicity).
To the right of the courtyard
is the first building opened to visitors, the Saray Mutfaklari (Palace kitchens),
which has high chimneys. The kitchens were originally built in the 15th
century and repaired and renovated by Mimar Sinan according to the needs of the
period. The kitchens were used to prepared regular daily meals for the
household and foods for occasional feasts were prepared by a large group of
servants.
The sultan’s dished were prepared in a special department known as
sultan’s kitchen by the chief cook. Today the kitchens function as a museum
exhibiting rare Chinese and Japanese porcelain given as gifts to the Ottomans,
as well as the copperware , porcelain and ceramic kitchenware of the Ottoman
palace kitchens.
As we have already noted, the
Topkapi Palace Complex was not completed in a single period but was extended by
adding individual buildings as the need arose. On the left of the courtyard
across the kitchens stands Divan-I Humayun (Chamber of the Imperial Council),
built during the reign of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. The term Divan
(Council) referred to the meetings where the most important state affairs were
discussed. Such meetings would deal with a wide range of problems, from
individuals’ requests to state appointments. The two buildings at either end of
this part are the Divan –i-Humayun Kalemi ( Secetariat of the Imperial Council
)and Defterhane ( The office Keeping the Records of Imperial Edicts).
Imperial Council meetings were
chaired by the sultans until the reign of Sultan Mehmet the conqueror; hence
forth the Grand Vizier took up that duty. The reason cited for this change was
that the matters which could not be discussed openly and plainly in the
presence of sultan could be more easily handled in the new manner. On one of
the walls of Kubbealti (Under the Dome, that is, another name of the Chamber of
Imperial Council) there is a gilded iron grill called the Kafes-I Musebbek . It
is the window of a private chamber from where the sultan could discreetly
listen to the proceedings of the council.
Council meetings were held there
until the 18th century when the Grand Vizier’ Office moved to the
Bab-I Ali (Sublime Porte). The tower with a spire next to the Chambers is the Adalet
Kasri ( Tower of Justice). The reason
why it is higher than the rest of the buildings can be explained by the fact
that the Ottomans valued justice as a virtue higher than any other; and it was
also a symbolic expression of the sultan’s vigilance against injustice.
The next building attached to
the Divan –I Hmayun is the Hazine
Bolumu( Imperial Treasury) where the state’s treasures were kept. Naturally it was themost closely
guarded section of the palace and it was used to store the taxes collected and
it could only be opened by the Grand Vizier who kept the imperial seal. At
present, it is used as the armoury, where the arms of Ottoman sultans are
displayed.
While the exterior of the
various Topkapi Palace buildings are quite plain, the internal decoration is
elaborate.
The most beautiful can be
found in the Harem Dairesi (Private Apartments of the Sultan), one of the most
interesting part of Topkapi Palace (to visit the Harem one must purchase a
ticket). This was the most secret and forbidden area of the palace where only
the sultan, his family members and servants of the Harem department could
enter. It gave rise to many legends as there was very little information
available about it.
Most of the prominent painters of Europe depicted the Harem
as they imagined it. The secrecy and forbidding entry too any strangers lasted
until the reign f Sultan Selim III, when for the first time foreign visitors’
wives were allowed in. In line with piecemeal development of Ottoman palace
architecture, several rooms were added to the Harem,where Harem officials
performed their duties and concubines provided their services.
Some of the
Chamber of Sultan Murat III was built by Mimar Sinan on the sultan’ command.
There are about 300 rooms in the Harem. There are also nine bathhouses, 2
mosques and a hospital. Some of the rooms were assigned to the sultan’s male
children, concubnes. Harem Agas, that is, the eunuchs and other servants. The most
beautiful rooms were devoted to the mothers of the sultans, namely “ Valide
Sultan” who was the highest ranking person in the Harem. The tile decorations
of the chambers of the sultans were also exquisite.
One of the most important
sections of Topkapi Palace is the Bab-us Saade (Gate of Felicity) that serves
as the passage from the second courtyard to the third courtyard and because of
this it was the most important gate of the palace. During holyday festivities
the sultan seated in front of this gate and the ceremonies and processions
marking the event took place on the courtyard in front of this gate.
Passing through the gate the first building
across the courtyard is the Arz Odasi (Audience Chamber), where Ottoman Sultans
met foreign embassies. Behind that
building stood the Enderun Kutuphanesi (Library of Imperial College) and the
Agalar Camii ( Aghas’ Mosque).
This courtyard is the most visited part of the Topkapi
Palace Complex, largely because of the permanent exhibitions in the rooms around the courtyard. Artefacts from the treasury of
Topkapi Palace can be seen here. The artefacts displayed in Topkapi
Palace Museum are invaluable owing to their both material and
sentimental values; moreover, they were deemed important enough to become the topic of Hollywood movies. All the riches of
the Ottoman Empire, which was one of the most important and richest empires of
the world for 600 years, were kept at the Topkapi Palace. Among the grandeur of
those years what has come down to us in the present day are the gifts of rulers of other states, objects
d’art decorated with priceless gemstones, the personal weapons and armour of
the sultans and their ceremonial garments.
The most important and holiest
of all exhibition halls of the Topkapi
Palace is the mukaddes Emanetler Dairesi ( Chamber of Sacred Relics),
which were set in the former” Has Oda”(
Sultan’s Private Chamber) and audience chamber as well as other ancillary
chambers. The Sacred Relics considered holy and highly significant by all Muslims
are exhibited here.
Among them are the relics of the Prophet Mohammed; silver
and gold inlaid keys of the door of the Kaaba; artefacts used by Prophets
Moses, Abraham and Joseph and the arms and armour of the first four caliphs of
Islam. It was customary for the Ottoman sultans to send valuable gifts to Mecca
and Medina, the holy cities of Islam, during the hajj period. The caravans
bearing those valuable gifts were ceremonially sent off from this spot.
The last place to visit at
Topkapi is the area which was the terrace of the palace until the beginning of
the 17th century when new pavilions were built there. It is known as
the Fourth Courtyard or Sofa-I Humayun (imperial Sofa). The most important
buildings here are the 2 pavilions of the Topkapi Palace, the pavilion of Revan
(Yerevan) and of Bagdat (Baghdad), built to commemorate Sultan Murat IV’s
conquest of Yerevan in 1636 and Baghdad in 1639.
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