Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Topkapı Palace

Istanbul by A.Savin from Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Topkapı Palace

One of the city’s most spectacular palaces may be found in Istanbul’s historical district, which is situated at the end of a tiny peninsula. Discover some of the most fascinating information about Topkapi Palace, one of the most significant historic buildings in Turkey’s capital, in this article.

1. It is situated in an elevated region of Istanbul’s Fatih District

Topkapı by Carlos Delgado from Wikimedia Commons

The Topkapi Palace is a vast collection of structures that were once the Ottoman Sultans’ Imperial Palace but was changed into a museum in the 20th century. Due to its lofty location east of Istanbul’s Fatih district, the palace has a magnificent view of the Golden Horn, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosphorus Strait.

The most significant government structures are also located here, making this area the city’s capital.

2. There is a building here that was constructed by the Romans

Walls of Constantinople by Bigdaddy1204 from Wikimedia Commons

Istanbul has had a number of various names throughout its history and has made a significant contribution to the history of Europe. After all, it has a very important location exactly on the line between Europe and Asia.

Byzantium was renamed Constantinople in 330 AD, and the illustrious Roman Emperor Constantine the Great really transformed it into the capital of the Roman Empire. Theodosius II (401–450), one of his predecessors, erected the Constantinople Theodosian Walls, which today’s Fatih District is defended.

3. It wasn’t until the 18th century that the palace received its current name

The fact that the Topkapi Palace was initially known to be the “Saray-i Cedid-i Amire,” or “Imperial New Palace,” is among the most amazing things about it. This was done to set it apart from the Old Palace, which was situated in the Fatih District’s Beyazt Square and is now the location of Istanbul University.

The palace’s present name, “Cannon Gate Palace,” was given to it between 1730 and 1754 by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I, a time when it had already lost some of its significance but was still utilized as the royal treasury, library, and mint.

4. The initial palace was constructed in the fifteenth century

Gate of Felicity by Shoakat hossain from Wikimedia Commons

Seraglio Point, a promontory and a very wise place to erect a palace, is the precise site of the palace. This was the precise sentiment of Sultan Mehmed II (1432-1481) upon his conquest of Constantinople in 1453, which essentially brought an end to the Eastern Roman Empire.

Although the precise year the palace’s original building was completed is uncertain, it was presumably sometime in the 1460s. Construction on the palace began in the year 1459.

5. The “Imperial Gate” is the name of the palace’s principal entrance

Hagia Sophia by Maksym Kozlenko from Wikimedia Commons

The “Imperial Gate” is the primary entrance to the palace and opens onto the First Courtyard. Although this building was first finished in the year 1478, the 19th century saw the addition of marble decorations.

Since it was referred to as the “Mese avenue” during the Byzantine era, the roadway leading up to this gate has played a significant role for a very long time. It served primarily as a procession roadway and was a major thoroughfare in the city.

The Hagia Sophia is the first building on this route, which is currently called “Divan Yolu” or “Council Street,” and it continues on until the Fountain of Ahmed III.

6. The palace was significantly expanded by Suleyman the Magnificent

Emperor Suleiman by Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien from Wikimedia Commons

Despite the fact that Suleyman the Magnificent, the Sultan who ruled for the longest, from 1520 to 1566, made changes to the palace during his rule, as did the majority of Mehmed II’s successors.

The palace gradually expanded into a massive structure that was designed to depict his expanding kingdom, and its estimated size is between 592,600 and 700,000 square meters (6,379,000 and 7,535,000 square feet). Four major courtyards and the Harem make up the complex’s central areas.

7. There is a Byzantine church there that has not been altered

One of the most astounding things about the Topkapi Palace is that a magnificent church from the Byzantine era has been maintained, despite the fact that many of the ancient structures in the First Courtyard have been demolished.

The “Hagia Irene,” a Byzantine structure that was constructed on the site of a pagan temple, is known as the earliest church to be finished in Constantinople. The structure was employed as an imperial armoury and warehouse until the 19th century, which is the sole reason it survived the Ottoman Empire without being destroyed.

8. The second courtyard’s entrance gate is really stunning

Gate of Salutation by Gryffindor from Wikimedia Commons

The “Gate of Salutation,” also known as the “Middle Gate,” is one of the Topkapi Palace’s most intriguing architectural features. The Second Courtyard and the real Palace are accessible through this entrance.

The building date of this gate, which resembles one of the magnificent defences in Europe or castles in England, is strangely unknown despite an inscription on the gate mentioning 1542. This gate, which served as one of the principal checkpoints of the palace, has a distinct Byzantine-era architectural style. Only the Sultan could ride his horse through this gate.

9. The palace housed the Ottoman Empire’s biggest kitchen

Such a massive building needs a massive kitchen to serve food. There are 20 chimneys in the kitchen, and roughly 800 employees worked here to make meals for an anticipated 4,000 people. As a result, it was the largest kitchen in the Ottoman Empire at the time.

The Sultan obviously liked using Chinese china for his meals since now, one of the most intriguing collections in the world, 10,700 pieces of Chinese porcelain are on exhibit in the old palace kitchen!

10. The tallest tower is situated between two significant structures

The Tower of Justice by Ivano Giambattista from Wikimedia Commons

The majority of the structures that make up the Palace complex are quite modest, but one stands out and is easily seen from the nearby lake. The “Tower of Justice” is the complex’s highest structure and is by far its name.

Mehmed II first constructed it in the 15th century, and Suleyman the Great subsequently added to it between 1527 and 1529. The lantern atop the tower was updated under Sultan Mahmud II’s rule in 1829, but all of the other elements of this spectacular structure remain original.

The Spoonmaker’s Diamond, the Topkapi Dagger, and many other things from the Ottoman Empire are among the various items on show, which you may view in addition to touring the Palace’s most significant structures and chambers.

Because of this, the Topkapi Palace should definitely be on your list of things to do while in Istanbul.