Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace is located in the middle of the historical part of Istanbul in Turkey. It has played the role of the main residence of the Ottoman sultans for centuries in a row. It was often here that the most important events of the country, as well as various royal ceremonies, took place. Nowadays, there is a famous world museum in Topkapi, where the most important Muslim shrines are preserved.
This palace is listed by UNESCO for its magnificent appearance, which belongs to the period of the Ottoman Empire.
If we translate Topkapi into Russian, we get the "cannon gate", which is how it was named because of the huge gate, which, unfortunately, has not survived to our time.
Topkapi Palace has been famous since 1459, when it was founded by Sultan Muhammad. The conqueror. At that time, the entire complex was located on the territory of 173 hectares, which stretched along the coast. At the time of its dawn, there were more than 4 thousand people in the palace walls. Back then, there were several mosques, a mint, as well as a hospital and a bakery. A distinctive feature of Topkapi from other royal palaces is the fact that it was constantly being renovated, expanded and changed its appearance.
Sometime in the 18th century, Topkapi began to lose its direct purpose, as new palaces appeared in which the government spent more time. Over time, the residence itself was moved to Dolmabahce, which was the first palace in Istanbul to be built in the European style. At the same time, the treasury and the state library were still in Topkapi.
In 1921, a magnificent museum was organized on the basis of the Topkapi Palace, which was presented during the reign of the emperor. This object has become the most visited place among all the attractions in Turkey.
The Topkapi complex includes four courtyards, which are separated by walls. It accommodates a large number of different halls and rooms, where examples of Ottoman architecture are on display. Here you can see a considerable collection of weapons, various manuscripts and even medieval jewelry. The collection of Turkish, European, and Japanese porcelain has a charming look. It is impossible not to notice a whole collection of caftans that belonged to the ruling emperors of the Ottoman Empire.
Considerable attention is attracted to the jewels that are placed in the local halls. Among them are products made from expensive metals and stones. The candlesticks, which are made of silver and lavishly decorated with diamonds, which are presented as a gift by pilgrims, are of particular interest to tourists.
Portraits of all the Ottoman emperors are located in one of the halls of the palace. The entire collection of the Topkapi Museum is simply huge, but only a tenth of it is on display to visitors.
