13
October, Istanbul
Haci Mimi
Apartment 53TL
The Topkapi Palace was the primary
residence of the Ottoman sultans for around two thirds of their 624 year reign.
The palace comprises a series of buildings constructed around courtyards,
interconnected with gates and galleries and passages. The buildings bear names
that define and describe their function, those of the harem, the private
residence of the sultan, being particularly interesting: the Domed Cupboard
Chamber (where records of deeds of trust were stored); the Hall of the Ablution
Fountain; the Courtyard of the Eunuchs (who guarded the harem residents – the
sultan, his mother, wives, concubines and children); the Courtyard of the Queen
Mother; the Passage of Concubines; the Courtyard of the Favourites, and so on. The
palace’s kitchens, recently renovated and very beautiful, employed 800 staff who
prepared between 4,000 and 6,000 meals a day. Treasury items on display include
the Topkapi dagger (its golden hilt is ornamented with three large emeralds and
is topped by a golden watch with an emerald lid) and the Spoonmaker's Diamond (an
86 carat pear-shaped diamond, the fourth largest diamond of its kind in the world).
Charl and I visited the palace with my mom, a fan of the 1964 Topkapi movie. Later we collected my dad
and we dined on fish on the lower tier of the Galata bridge.
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Galata bridge