Topkapi in Turkey: a place I want to return to

There are places that you visit, take pictures of, tick off your mental list, and after a while you can't remember what color the walls were or exactly how you felt that day. But there are places that for some reason do not let go, and the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul has become for me exactly the kind of place where I return to mentally much more often than I expected after the trip. It seems that I have already seen everything, walked through the palace courtyards, looked into the luxurious rooms, admired the views of the Bosphorus, and even got so tired that at some point my legs began to hint at the need to stop the historical marathon, but the impression remained so strong that now I want to return there in a completely different way.

When I first found myself at the entrance to the palace, for some reason it immediately seemed to me that I was not just in a museum, but in a separate small world that exists according to its own rules and is in no hurry to adapt to modern Istanbul. 

Outside the walls of Topkapi, a huge city is buzzing, cars are driving, people are in a hurry, phones are ringing, tourists are trying to look at the map at the same time and not lose each other, but inside the palace it all seems to remain somewhere far away. Probably, it was this contrast that hooked me the most, because just a few minutes ago you were in a modern city, and then you walk through the gates and find yourself among the palace courtyards, gardens, old walls and incredible views of the Bosphorus.

I didn't expect Topkapi to be so big at all.

Before the trip, of course, I imagined a palace, but in my head it was something much more compact, where you can safely walk for an hour, see everything, take beautiful photos and go on about your Istanbul business. I was so wrong, because Topkapi turned out to be a huge complex that you can walk around for quite a long time, gradually discovering new courtyards, buildings, terraces and rooms, and at some point I stopped realizing exactly how much I had seen. The funny thing is that the further I went, the more I wanted to see more, although an inner voice was already quite reasonably suggesting that I find a bench and at least sit for a while.

I especially liked the feeling of space that arises in the palace courtyards, because here you don't feel like you're just being led from one museum hall to another. You move from one place to another, go out into an open area, see greenery, old walls, a piece of the sea, and then suddenly discover an absolutely stunning view of the Bosphorus, and all this makes you stay longer than you planned. I've generally noticed a strange habit when traveling: if I really like a place, I start photographing it from all possible angles, and then at home I find about twenty identical photos of the same tree on my phone, but not a single photo of how I looked at that moment.

A harem that is impossible not to think about

I was particularly impressed by the part of the palace associated with the harem, because it is here that history begins to be perceived in a completely different way. Before that, you can look at the palace premises as beautiful interiors, consider tiles, ornaments, doors and details, but gradually you begin to think about the people who once really lived behind these walls, and then Topkapi ceases to be just a beautiful historical place. The thought of how many destinies, intrigues, conversations, hopes and disappointments have remained here is especially strong on the imagination, although almost nothing remains of the people who once walked along these corridors today.

Of course, after getting acquainted with the history of the Ottoman Empire, it is impossible not to remember Hurrem Sultan, and I also couldn't get past this topic, especially after I once watched a popular TV series about Sultan Suleiman. But in Topkapi, everything is perceived a little differently, because you no longer look at the screen and do not see the actors, but stand among real walls that are several centuries old, and this suddenly makes the story much closer and more real. I found myself thinking that one day I would like to return here without haste, walk through these rooms once more and no longer just look at the beauty of the interiors, but try to imagine what life was like for people for whom this place was once not a tourist attraction, but an ordinary home.

View of the Bosphorus, for which you want to stop

But if you ask me what moment in Topkapi I remember most often, I will most likely answer – views of the Bosphorus. There is something very special about this: you stand on the territory of the palace, the history of the Ottoman Empire, old walls and luxurious buildings surround you, and the water opens before your eyes, along which ferries run, and modern Istanbul lives its usual life. At this moment, you realize especially well how amazing the city itself is, because the past and present here do not just exist side by side, but literally overlap each other.

I could have stood there and stared at the water for a long time if I hadn't remembered that I still have a whole program ahead of me and actually I didn't come to Istanbul to spend the whole day at one point overlooking the Bosphorus. But these are the moments I love most when traveling, when you suddenly stop keeping track of time and no longer think about how many attractions are left before the end of the day. You just stand there, look into the distance, and realize that this is exactly the feeling you'll remember at home much more often than the names of all the halls you've visited.

Why do I want to go back

That's probably why Topkapi has become a place for me to return to, and I'd really like to do it not on the first day of the trip, when I still have a huge list of required places in my head, but when I can afford to slow down a little. I would go through the gates again, walk through the palace courtyards, look into the Harem once more, and then I would definitely find a place with a view of the Bosphorus and just sit there without taking out my phone every two minutes. I think I could see the Topcaps much more deeply the second time, because the first visit is always a bit like trying to embrace the whole city at once – I want to see everything, remember everything and not miss anything.

And, of course, I'm pretty sure that on my second visit I'll be walking around the palace again with the expression of someone who knows exactly where he's going, and ten minutes later I'll take out the map again and start figuring out exactly where I am. I guess this is already my personal travel tradition, because no matter how detailed the route is, sooner or later I still go somewhere wrong, but that's how the most interesting places are sometimes located. After all, a trip without small adventures would be too suspiciously ideal, and I prefer to return home not only with beautiful photos, but also with stories that are pleasant to remember later.

Topkapi is not only a palace

Now, when I think about Topkapi, I realize that I remember it not only because of the luxurious interiors, historical stories or famous names associated with the Ottoman Empire. For me, it became a place where history, architecture, nature and Istanbul met in an amazing way, which cannot be confused with any other city, especially when the Bosphorus opens in front of you and ferries continue to run somewhere below. That's probably why I don't just want to say that I "visited Topkapi," because it sounds like I ticked off and moved on, but I'm much closer to the idea that I was there once and now I want to see it again.

I want to go back there without feeling like I'm late for something, without a long list of attractions, and without wanting to photograph every door, because now I know exactly what I want to feel. I want to walk through the palace courtyards again, see the familiar walls, feel this special Istanbul air and stay by the Bosphorus a little longer than the usual tourist route allows. And if one day I find myself in Istanbul again, I know for sure.: Topkapi will be one of the first places I will go, because some places we visit once, and some we want to return to again and again, even if it is impossible to fully explain why.

The place I haven't finished watching

Perhaps this is the main secret of traveling: sometimes we return home not because we have seen everything, but precisely because we understand that we have not seen everything. Topkapi is one of those places for me, because it is impossible to feel it completely in one visit, especially when there is so much history hidden behind beautiful walls, and Istanbul opens up behind the palace terraces, which in itself can make you stay for a few more days. That's why my return ticket from Istanbul took me home once, but for some reason I didn't put an end to it.

And maybe that's why I want to go back there.