TOPKAPI!
Turkey is a mysterious, fascinating place. When I was about 15 years old, I read a book trough which I had a glimpse of Turkey. The name was ” At the shadow of the yali”. And, also many years ago, I watched a movie about the Topkapi museum; the star was the Greek actress Melina Mercouri. I never forgot how dazzling was the museum, the absolute , magical tourquoise blue of the sea.
And since I met a Turkish friend a few weeks ago, I wanted to awake again my memories. Here is some information about the magnificent Topkapi.
(Bellatryx)
Historical Information on The Topkapi Palace Museum
Istanbul’s history dates back to 633 B.C. when Doric settlers from Megara founded a small, commercial colony here that became known as Byzantion. Two major constraints dictated the siting of ancient cities: topography and strategic considerations. The site of this new town was located at the tip of a peninsula that commanded three waterways. With the formal establishment of the polis, a city wall measuring five kilometers in length and having twenty-seven towers was built as protection. Within the walls, a hill within the walls was selected as its acropolis. This was the first of the city’s eventual seven hills - apparently a topographical “must” for legendary ancient cities.
Continuous expansion and growth resulted in several transformations of the city’s appearance. The first major one took place in 196, during the reign of the Roman emperor Septimus Severus. This involved the rebuilding of the land wall. Another Roman emperor, Constantine the Great, transformed the city into a great metropolis that he renamed Constantinopolis. This city was to become the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. In 412 with the aim of creating a new metropolis to serve as the capital of his empire, Emperor Theodosius undertook the fourth major expansion of the city and rebuilt the landwalls.
In the course of the centuries, palaces were built, abandoned, demolished, and rebuilt. Most of these overlooked the Sea of Marmara. Thus the Emperor Justinian (565-578) was making a radical and - for the city - fateful change when he decided to locate his new palace (Blachernae) at a place where the seawalls of the Golden Horn met the landwalls cutting across the peninsula. By the time of Alexius Comnenus (1061-1118), Blachernae was officially designated the imperial residence and all the other Byzantine palaces were abandoned.
Two thousand one hundred forty years after the foundation of the city, a young Ottoman sultan conquered the city at the age of twenty-three. Mehmed the II, given the name Fatih “Conqueror” in honor of his victory, made his conquest the capital of his vigorous, expanding empire. With his ambitions for world domination, he chose as the site of his administrative center and residence the very same place on which the original city was founded: a coincidence, perhaps, but more likely a reaffirmation of the rules of locational determinism; for even the length of the surrounding walls and the area they contained were close to those of ancient Byzantion.
At the time of his conquest, Sultan Mehmed encountered an impoverished city with a population of a mere forty thousand souls who lived scattered about in isolated residential sections set amidst cultivated fields. The site he chose for his palace was typical: a hill covered with an olive grove, presumably several abandoned monastic structures, chapels, and bathhouses, and a small residential district by the sea.
This was the beginning of an unprecedented scheme of grandiose proportions which became synonymous with Ottoman cultural and administrative history. More than a residential complex for the royal household, the new palace was to become the pivotal institution for the planning and decision-making institutions of a far-flung empire and it remained so from the late 15th century to the middle of the l9th.
With its “irregular, asymmetric, non-axial, and un-monumental proportions” as some European travelers described it, Topkapi Palace was certainly quite different from the European palaces with which they were familiar whether in terms of appearance or of layout. But it was also fundamentally different from oriental or Islamic palaces even though they might have had similar patterns of spatial organization. In fact, Topkapi was a sui generis microcosm, a paradise on earth or “to borrow a term from Ottoman palace terminology” The Palace of Felicity.
Topkapi may be considered a trans-cultural focal point in which a holistic civilization was created from the nomadic culture of Turkish tribesmen whose forefathers had set out from Central Asia and reached Asia Minor with stopovers in Persia and Mesopotamia. Within the historically short period of two centuries, the Ottomans rose from a small, feudal principality to become a major -the major- world power, yet at the same time they possessed a court tradition and culture of their own that was over a thousand years old. Undoubtedly Topkapi involved a synthesis of Byzantine elements but what grew up on the peninsula by the Golden Horn cannot possibly be divorced from its predecessors in Ottoman history.
With their conquest of Bursa in 1326, the Ottomans developed a new (for them) concept of a palace situated within a citadel in their new capital. Although no definite historical information is available about this palace’s formal and functional organization, it may be assumed that it was here that the social organization and components of future palaces were shaped.
During the period of the empire’s early formation and expansion (particularly during the conquest of the European territories called Rumeli) the concept of an established administrative capital had - for geopolitical reasons - to be flexible. Following his capture of Dimetoka in 1362, Murad I ordered the construction of a palace there and until 1368, that city served as the empire’s temporary capital. The early sultans perforce developed the concept of keeping the center of administrative power moving as dictated by the mobility of military power.
Although Edirne was also conquered in 1362, and became the center of the administration of the empire’s Rumelian territories, it did not become the formal capital until 1368, following the completion of a new palace built there. At the same time, Bursa remained a capital in its own right. Thus we see that the earlier empire was one in which there was a plurality of administrative focal points.
The first palace to be built in Edirne (which later became known as Eski Saray “Old Palace”) was located in a place called Kavak Meydanl, the spot where Selimiye mosque was to be built in the 16th century. During the brief reign of Celebi Musa (1411), the palace grounds, in the form of a square, were protected by a wall fifteen meters high which turned it into an urban citadel. We have almost no detailed information about this palace’s formal or functional organization or its architectural features.
Since it was originally the custom in the Ottoman empire for princes of the line to serve as provincial governors in cities like Kutahya, Amasya, and Manisa, palaces -whether new ones or reconstructions of existing ones- were built in such places for them to reside in.
Back in Edirne, work on the construction of a new palace began in 1447 on the banks of the Tunca river. It was not completed until 1457, by which time Mehmed II had already occupied the throne for six years and Istanbul for four.
After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, a new palace for the Ottoman house was built within the walls of the city at a place called Forum Tauri. It replaced an abandoned monastery there. Also referred to in old Ottoman sources as Eski Saray, this palace covered a rather large area. Sultan Mehmed did not, however, live there much, preferring to take up residence in Edirne between campaigns.
When Istanbul was declared the empire’s formal capital however, Eski Saray acquired the status of the sovereign’s residence. Mehmed lived there until about the middle of the 1470’s, by which time he had realized that he needed to construct a new palace whose grandeur and magnificence were more in accord with his imperial ambitions as evinced in the title “Ruler of the Two Seas and the Two Continents” that he assumed.
Within the remarkably short span of only ten years, four palaces were built in succession. It was probably this more than anything else that firmly established the roots of the extraordinary spatio-social evolutionary process that was to become the Ottoman palace tradition. The developmental stages of these palaces clearly define the royal house’s developing conceptualization of what a palace should be: seat of government and imperial residence. The elements of this duality mutually influenced and transformed each other affecting the spatial and functional components of the Ottoman palaces until the early 18th century. The stages in this development may be summarized as:
Edirne Yeni Sarayi whose modifications and successive extensions undertaken in different stages and periods led to the evolution of residential and administrative units often with the same private and ceremonial functions and even with the same names. Thus this palace exhibits important parallels with the new palace in Istanbul.
Istanbul Eski Sarayi which, though originally intended as the Ottoman residence, was to play a vital role, as the “Women’s Palace” in the development and spatial transformation of what was to become the new palace’s Harem. While this palace served initially as the residence of the sultan’s immediate family (mother, wives, and children), it later became the residence of all the womenfolk of deceased sovereigns. It thus serves as a parallel and external model for the official Harem of the new palace.
In his capacity as chief planner of his capital, Mehmed II set out the structure of the state with its own organizational philosophy, inter- related institutions, and ceremonial orders (including the ethics, manners, and rituals that ultimately became traditions) as well as the physical environment of the capital in which all its integrated institutions were located in designated zones and districts.
Mehmed II’s Kanunname (literally “Book of Laws”) lays down what are essentially the schematics for his prospective global empire- the “Third Rome”. But although all its institutions are described in detail and were to be located somewhere within the urban context, the sultan’s intentions with regard to matters of location and organization are not clearly known; only some vague assumptions can be made on the basis of the known duality of function.
Although he originally selected as the site of his palace a location that was thoroughly urban, he later chose to relocate it to another that was (at the time) relatively remote and isolated. His motives in this cannot be precisely discerned. Did he anticipate the separate (or integrated) primary function of the new palace as a private domain or residence or as a ceremonial domain that would be fitted out with the administrative functions of the state?
Another related, and unresolved, problem was why Yedikule, which was designed and built in accordance with the most sophisticated concepts of military architecture of the day, was to function solely as an imperial treasury. What purpose did he originally envision this structure serving? Compared with this, his intentions and aims in the construction of his kulliye (multi-functional complex) in the modern-day district of Fatih are clear and well formulated: it was here that the class of civil servants who would serve the state and make scholarly and technological contributions to its progress were to be educated.
All the palaces built (or completed) during the reign of Mehmed II exhibit the same spatial order based on the principle of interconnected courtyards, each located in clearly defined public, semi-public, and private zones. These courtyards were arranged according to hierarchical considerations with their shapes being determined by topography rather than precise geometric or orthogonal principles. The number of these courtyards was flexible: there had to be at least two but could be as many as nine, as in the case of the Edirne place. Only five of them, however, were given the designation meydan (square) or taslik (courtyard) according to the particular palace’s terminology.
Palaces evolving around courtyards in the course of their historical development existed in both oriental and occidental cultures long before the Ottoman experiment. Spatial organization principles considering courtyards as “unit spaces” constituted a common design vocabulary that quite often was implemented as both an integrating and segregating spatial constraint.
The use of walls and courtyards and of clear and strong transitions between and among them is one way of expressing domains. The spatial system of a palace (or of any other structure for that matter) is an expression of a human behavioral system. In this context, unwanted behavior and interaction that can be prevented (or controlled) through rules (manners, hierarchies, avoidance) can be reinforced through architecture that creates areas (zones) that are arranged hierarchically and occupied by various groups creating a balance of power among them, which in turn makes it possible to create the “system” through which group identities are formed, maintained, and integrated.
It is for this reason that all the legendary palaces that are formed around a system of courtyards -Beijing or Forbidden City, Delhi, Akra, Fatehpur Sirki, and Alhambra- exhibit striking spatial/organizational similarities. Since an absolute ruler’s philosophical vision of what should be the administrative and residential constituents evolved around a common behavioral system and tradition, they naturally reflect similar sources and guiding principles.
Today Topkapi Palace functions as a museum and only a very small part of its original domain and environment can be appreciated. The ravages of time have resulted in the destruction (by fire) and the demolition (through new building) of many of its original structures. Despite this, the original 15th century spatial organization based on a triple courtyard order that integrates, segregates, and defines the palace’s residential, ceremonial, and functional requirements has remained remarkably intact.
These individual requirements led to the formation of homogeneous, self-contained clusters that evolved around smaller courtyards since this was dictated by the formative systems of the social and functional groups, corps, classes, and institutions that occupied them. These clusters are not isolated, however, but are linked to and aligned with the main courtyards creating a self- contained microcosm that perfectly mirrors the state it housed.
That then defines the methodology of this book. By analytically exhibiting the spatial hierarchy of the palace, reconsidering its order and the successive stages of its transformation, we shall endeavor to expose the present state and past of this unique world, the Palace of Felicity.
Imperial Treasury
The Treasury
The palace originally contained several treasury areas. For example, in one room was kept the so-called “Ambassadors Treasure” consisting of the rich objects which were used by Ottoman representatives abroad, and kept here when not in use. In addition, the relics of the Prophet Mohammed, the Inner Treasury, and the Equestrian Treasury were each separately housed. It is believed that the original treasures of the Sultans were kept in the Seven Towers Gate section of the City Walls. The collection we see now consist of gifts of ambassadors, enthronement gifts, and purchases of the Sultans themselves. The largest treasure from the spoils of war was added by Sultan Yavuz Selim, whose seal closed the treasury doors until recent times in recognition of his accomplishment.
The artifacts of the treasure were deposited in closets and chests until the time of Abdulmecit. According to Palace laws, each Sultan was to visit the Treasury after his enthronement. When Abdulmecit made the customary visit the ordered that some of the items be placed on exhibit during the Crimean War. Following in his steps, Abdulaziz and Abdulhamit II. also exhibited some items. From time to time foreign ambassadors were also shown the collection which we now see. The sultan himself was alone allowed to enter the treasury, or in his absence, a group of forty men together. The collection was filled and emptied many times over because of the constant flow in and out of gifts to and from the courts of the world. Each year a gift was sent to the grave of the prophet Mohammed, some of which are now returned and seen today.
Treasury Salon I
Entering on the right we see a case containing the amour or Sultan Mustafa III. The suit is of iron mail, encrusted in gold an precious stones. It offered full protection from head to toe, and included sword and shield and foot gear for his mount. In the second case are shown Koran covers decorated with pearls, for the personal use of the Sultans. Of particular interest is the cover in black velvet, decorated in pearls and carrying in the center a diamond “God Bless” and finished with three pearl tassels.
In the third case is the ebony throne of sultan Murad the IV., inlaid with ivory and mother - of - pearl, and covered in a fabric throw typical of 17th century Turkish handwork.
At the side, in the fourth case are shown 16th and 17th century Turkish and Iranian pots, vases, and water jugs. Opposite, in the fifth case, and belonging to the Egyptian Governor Mehmet Ali Pasha, are gold candelabras, and an 18th century gold water pipe belonging to the Governor of Van, Mustafa Pasha and several candle snips. In the sixth case, solid jade vases and ports, form a background for the diamond studded walking stick of Abdulhamit II., a gift of Kaiser Wilhelm. In the seventh case, belonging to the mother of Sultan Mahmut II. is a golden candelabra. A washing set and sherbet set, also in gold, belonging to Abdulhamit II. are representative of a high quality of gold work. Next to the door, in the eighth case is an ornate Indian music box. From here we turn to the central cases in the room, where are exhibited a large number of heavily decorated military items, in addition to many personal items belonging to members of the Sultan’s household.
Treasury Salon II
As we enter the room, on the right, in the first case are emerald praying beads, and arrow quivers of 16th century manufacture by Turkish artisans, covered in gold, measuring 35 by 67 centimeters. The quiver immediately in front of us is decorated in flower motifs done in diamonds and emeralds. In the second case at its top is a hanging pendant belonging to Sultan Abdulhamid I. of emerald, framed in gold. It is undoubtedly one of the most striking pieces in the room, containing three large emeralds shaped in a triangle, leaf patterns surround framed in gold, and 48 strings of pearls forming the tassel. Along with 97 other treasures, this tassel was originally a gift of the sultan to the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed in Mecca, and was returned to Istanbul when Mecca no longer lay within the borders of the Empire, through the efforts of Fahrettin Pasha, guardian of the treasury.
In the same case is a six-sided pendant of emerald belonging to Sultan Ahmet I. The body sits on a six pearl foot, with each of its six sides framed in gold. The cover is domed in a gold lattice, encrusted with diamonds and sapphires. The old plaque at the base indicates that it was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I. in the year 1617 at a price of 6000 gold pieces. In the lower corner of this case, on a turban, is a 17th century plume-decorated with two five centimeter emeralds in length, formed on a heavy gold pin. Its top is decorated with two five centimeter emeralds and a garnet stone, framed by diamond-encrusted gold leaves, and loops of pearl chains. An additional pendant in this same case was commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I.
In the third case, at the top, is an emerald pendant belonging to Sultan Mustafa, and an emerald dagger belonging to Mehmet IV. This dagger is a fine example of 17th century craftsmanship, being 31 centimeters in length, its handle of solid emerald, worked in gold an other precious gems. It was a present to the Sultan Mehmet IV. at the dedication of the Yeni Mosque.
In the fourth case of this room is a very eye - catching emerald pendant, 55 centimeters in length, with a four centimeter long emerald at its top. Beneath this a gold plaque decorated in diamonds, on either side of which are inscriptions to Sultan Abdulmecid I. At its base are round and hexagonal emeralds surrounded with pearls. The tassel at the base is of seventeen strings of pearls. In the same case are found bases for Turkish coffee cups and turban tassels and plumes. In the fifth case are feather - like plumes and quivers, the emerald quiver at the bottom being particularly lovely.
Treasury Salon III
In this salon are more diamond and gold works. In the case on the right of the entrance are Koran covers decorated in precious stones. in the second case is a dessert set belonging to the Sultan Abdulhamit, as well as a gold incense burner, and an enameled sherbet set.
At the top of the third case is a pendant carrying the seal of the sultan Mahmut II., itself of diamonds, on a blue and pink enamel background. The chain is of gold, and the tassel 45 strings of 38 centimeters of pearls. In the same case is a grouping of several very large, very famous cut diamonds. The broaches, rings ad other jewelry items here are equally lovely. In the fourth case, of particular note are the gold tray and gold incense burner.
In the fifth case, perhaps this room’s most beautiful object, the spoonmakers diamond, is located.
Treasury Salon IV
The central object of this room is the Turkish and Indian masterpiece in its center, the throne of Mahmut I. A gift of the Persian King Nadir Shah, on a green and red background, its designs are of emeralds and pearls. Previously thought to be the throne of Shah Ismail, research has shown it to have been in fact a gift of the Persian king to the Ottomans. On the right in a case, are pots and ivory mirrors. Across, in a large number of cases, are swords, rifles, prayer beads, spoons, all extravagantly decorated. Of particular note is the box in which the mantle of the Prophet Mohammed was once kept.
As we leave this magnificent treasury, we pass along the from of the museum’s administrative offices to the Portrait and Miniature Exhibit Hal. The ground floor of this hall contains examples or art works from the Islamic world from the 13th to the 19th to the 20th century.
The Treasury of the Museum of Topkapi Palace is considered one of the most famous treasuries in the world. Indeed, the numbers of maces, pendants, daggers, chests, book covers, candelabra, rings, and various decorative articles adorned with such stones as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, brilliant’s, chrysolite, and turquoises are incalculable, and no price can be placed on their worth. Next to these gems sparkling like a bouquet of light, silver and gold seem dull. Furthermore each one of these painstakingly made articles possesses a memory, a story and from the standpoint of art and history has its own unique value. In how many sultan’s crowns did those diamond encrusted crests over there reign? Who did that emerald encrusted dagger in the glass case a bit farther on challenge and on whose waist did it rest? Or those rings, earrings, medallions, medalsà The spectator, his eyes entranced in these rooms, is unable to prevent himself from being caught up in the memories of an overwhelming past. Amidst all these riches enthroned in its own separate case is a masterpiece, proud in its beauty, that dazzles the eye with its light. Known as the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, it has become famous, a bright and shining oval gem shaped like the bowl of a spoon. Forty nine separate brilliant’s surround it, which in this fashion gives it the appearance of a full moon lighting a bright and shining sky amidst the stars.
Various stories are told about the Soonmarker’s Diamond According to one tale, a poor fisherman in Istanbul near Yenikapi was wandering idly, empty-handed along the shore when he found a shiny stone among the litter, which he turned over one over not knowing what it was. After carrying it about in his pocket for a few days, he stopped by the jewelers Market, showing it to the first jeweler he encountered. The jeweler took a casual glance at the stone and appeared disinterested, saying “It’s a piece of glass, take it away if you like, or if you like I’ll give you three spoons. You brought it all the way here, at least let it be worth your trouble.” What was the poor fisherman to do with this piece of glass? What’s more the jeweler had felt sorry for him and was giving three spoons. He said okay and took the spoons, leaving in their place an enormous treasure. It is for this reason they say that the diamond’s name became the “Spoonmaker’s Diamond” According to another tale, the person finding the diamond was a spoonmaker, or the diamond was given this name because it resembled the bowl of a spoon. Even today it is not known how this diamond came to the Ottoman Palace, who it was obtained from or how. Even though a ring stone called the Spoonmaker’s Diamond which belonged to Sultan Mehmet IV appears listed in museum records, this stone along with its gold is only 10 to 12 grams, which is much smaller than our Spoonmaker’s Diamond. So where did the Spoonmaker’s Diamond come from then? While the experts go on researching this subject, in recent years a new story has begun to be told. It goes like thisà
In 1774 a French officer by the name of Pigot purchased a diamond from the Maharajah of Madras and brought it to France. After changing a number of hands, the diamond was put up for sale at auction, in which Napoleon’s mother purchased it. For a long time she wore it on her breast. When Napoeon was sent into exile, his aged mother put the diamond up for sale in order to be able save her son.
One of Tepedelenli Ali Pasa’s men, who was in France at the time, bought the diamond on the Pasa’s behalf for 150 thousand gold pieces, bringing it back and handing it over. During the reign of Mahmud II, Tepedelenli Ali Pasa was killed on allegations of rebelling against the State, and his treasure was confiscated. The whole lot of precious jewelry was moved to the Ottoman Treasury, during the course of which the diamond purchased from Napoleon’s mother, subsequently becoming famous as the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, also entered the Treasury.
It is known that the stone known in France as the Pigot Diamond which was purchaed by Tepedelenli Ali Pasa’s men was 86 carets. The Spoonmaker’s Diamond in the Treasury of Topkapi Museum is also 86 carets. Thus, the world-renowned Pigot diamond must be the Spoonmaker’s Diamond in Topkapi.
Actually, among the world’s 22 famous diamonds, the 191 caret diamond known as the Koh-I-nur (Mountain of Light) was found in India and is today in the British Royal Treasury. The diamond known as the Derya-i-nur or Sea of Light is held today in the National Bank of Iran. The Southern Star diamond of 128 carats found in Brazil in 1853, the Grand Mongol Diamond, and the Pigot or our Spoonmaker’s Diamond are among these 22 diamonds.
Expert are of the opinion that the two rows of 49 brilliant’s surrounding the Spoonmarker’s Diamond were added later. These 49 brilliant’s were ordered arranged either by Tepedelenli Ali Pasa, or by Mahmud II. These brilliants provide an additional beauty to the Spoonmaker’s Diamond and increase its value by as much again.
The gold, the silver, the rubies, the emeralds of the Topkapi Palace Treasury notwithstanding, the Spoonmarker’s Diamond, has drown the adoring, amazed looks of countless favourites, queens and mothers of sultans. A masterpiece of deathless beauty even today it sits alone in its case, smiling at its spectators. Just like a bouquet of light.
Apart from brief intervals, Topkapi Palace was home to all the Ottoman sultans until the reign of Abdulmecid I (1839-1860), a period of nearly four centuries. Over the years the palace complex underwent constant evolution. Some buildings disappeared, destroyed by fire, earthquakes or demolished to make way for new buildings. The palace was therefore not a single massive building in the western tradition, constructed at one go, but an organic structure which was never static, and reflected the styles and tastes of many periods in many independent units with individual functions.
The last new building to be added to Topkapi was commissioned by Sultan Abdulmecid who abandoned Topkapi for a new palace on the Bosphorus. Neglected thereafter, Topkapi Palace fell into disrepair. After the establishment of the Republic in 1923 it was extensively renovated and transformed into a museum, and ever since has been one of Istanbul’s most popular sights. Since Topkapi is so large, only some sections are open to the public.
Before entering the outer portal of the palace, let us pause to look at the fountain of Sultan Ahmet III just outside. This lovely baroque building dates from the 18th century and is the most striking example of such “meydan” fountains. On each of the four sides of the fountains is a tap, and at each of the four corners a “sebil” for the distribution of drinking water to passersby. The road leading off to the right here takes you to Ishak Pasa Mosqe which has lost much of its character in repairs carried out over the years.
This portal flanked by towers known as the Bab-i H’mayun was built in the time of the conqueror. As at the Orta Kapi or Central Gate, the severed heads of traitors were occasionally displayed here. The portal was guarded by a special regiment of guards. Around the first courtyard within this gate were numerous service buildings, including a hospital, bakery, mint, armoury and accommodation for palace servants. This courtyard was open to the public.
To the right as you enter the portal are the remains of the Byzantine Samson Hospital, which was razed during the Nika Rebellion. This hospital was famous in its day, providing treatment for rich and poor alike.
Next to these is Haghia Eirene, one of the oldest churches in Constantinople and the church of the patriarchate prior to Haghia Sophia. It was enlarged in the early 4th century, and at that period played a major -and sometimes bloody- role in the controversies between Arian and Orthodox Christians. The church, too, was burned down in the Nika Rebellion and rebuilt by Justinian.
Haghia Eirene is the only Byzantine church in Istanbul with its atrium intact. The plan is a good example of the transition from a basilica to a Greek cross. Thick walls support the main dome and the small dome to the east, while columns divide the nave from the aisles. The plain cross in the apse must date from the iconoclastic period and the remains of the mosaics in the narthex probably date from the time of Justinian.
Since Haghia Eirene was enclosed by the palace walls soon after the conquest, it was never used as a mosque. Instead the janissaries of the palace used it as an armoury. The accumulation of antique weapons which resulted led to the building being used as the first Turkish military museum in the 19th century. When the military museum moved to new premises in Harbiye, Haghia Eirene was restored and for some years now has been used as a concert hall, a function for which its excellent acoustics and evocative atmosphere are ideally suited.
A narrow lane leading down the hill from the church takes you to G’lhane Park which was once part of the palace gardens. Halfway down the hills is the Tiled Pavilion and the Archaeological Museum, possessing one of the most outstanding collections in the world. Next door is the Museum of Near Eastern History where fascinating pre-Islamic Arab works and finds from Assyria, Babylon and Egypt are exhibited.
The Tiled Pavilion is the earliest building of Topkapi Palace, built by Mehmet II (the Conqueror). The striking tiles which adorn the entire building still display strong traces of Seljuk Turkish art in both the designs and the predominance of blue and turquoise. It is for this reason that the building has been transformed into a ceramics museum, where the finest examples of Turkish ceramics from the 12th century to the present day are on display. At the entrance to G’lhane Park is the Alay K÷sk’ (meaning Ceremonial Pavilion) dating from the reign of Mahmud II (1808-1839) who watched various parades and processions from this vantage point.
If we enter G’lhane Park and walk straight ahead, we came to the Gothic Column, which was one of the principal Byzantine monuments, and thought to have been erected in commemoration of a victory against the Goths at the end of the third century. Nearby are the ruins of an unidentified Byzantine building.
There are known to be several Byzantine cisterns in the palace courtyards and next to the Archaeological Museum, and excavations here might also reveal the remains of the old acropolis. Before entering Topkapi Palace proper, there is one more building of note. This is Sepetciler K÷sk’ (meaning pavilion of the Basket Weavers) (who wove baskets for produce from the imperial gardens) which is the last survivor of a number of palace pavilions in this area. This building at the water’s edge now houses the International Press Centre.
Harem, Concubine’s courtyard
An extra charge is made for visiting the Harem at Topkapi Palace, and groups of limited numbers are only allowed in at specific intervals, so it is best to get your ticket for the Harem as soon as you arrive. These restrictions are necessary to prevent any damage being done to the contents of this section. The Harem is a vast labyrinth of rooms and corridors, and only part is open to the public. The visitor’s entrance is via the Divan Odasi in the second courtyard. The Divan Odasi or Chamber of State, served as a transition between the Harem and the public apartments of the palace. The Council of State convened four days a week under the Grand Vizier, over whose seat was a window with an iron grill. Whenever he wished the sultan could observe the meetings without being seen. The Inner Treasury Chamber adjoining the Divan houses a collection of weapons.
Now we enter the Harem itself, where we can see rooms occupied by the black eunuchs, concubines, the sultan’s mother and the sultan himself. The most fascinating aspect of the Harem was the cloak of secrecy over life here. Virtually none of its inhabitants had the freedom to go out at will, and equally almost no one from the outside world was ever admitted. Sexuality is the principal theme on which the architecture is based, the sultan and his concubines and consort. Between these two poles of a single man and many women, were the sexless eunuchs who were guardians of the concubines, but themselves virtual prisoners. Of course the young princes lived in part of the Harem, and after puberty they too were provided with concubines. But their public existence was confined to the shadowy one of “potential sultans”. Despite the change in the laws of succession introduced by Ahmed I, according to which the eldest member of the dynasty rather than the eldest son of the reigning sultan succeeded to the throne, the princes lived in constant fear of assassination.
Harem, Imperial Sofa, 18. Century
The central gate known as Orta Kapi or Babusselam is the main entrance to the museum. Executions used to be carried out on the inner side of this gate and the heads exhibited on blocks of stones to the right of the door.
Along the opposite side of this courtyard are the kitchen buildings, which provided food for literally thousands of people every day. The lines of small domes and chimneys surmounting them make the kitchens a familiar part of the palace’s silhouette. The central gate known as Orta Kapi or Babusselam is the main entrance to the museum. Executions used to be carried out on the inner side of this gate and the heads exhibited on blocks of stones to the right of the door.
Today as well as some of the original kitchen equipment, the palace’s enormous collection of porcelain and glass is housed here. The Chinese porcelains are what is said to be the largest collection in the world. Following the courtyard wall to the left brings you to the stables which housed only the sultan’s own horses. Various exhibitions are held here.
The gate into the third courtyard known as Babussade or Gate of Felicity brings us into the private inner areas of the palace. Only the sultan was permitted to pass through the gate on horseback, and even on foot only a favoured handful of statesmen and trusted intimates could enter here. Only once in Ottoman history, during the rebellion which dethroned Osman II, did rebels dare to enter this gate. And on one occasion Alemdar Mustafa Pasa broke this door down in order to save the life of Mahmut II.
Ceremonies such as those held on a new sultan’s accession were held in front of this gate, and it was here when the janissaries were simmering into rebellion that councils were held to discuss their demands. It was also in front of this gate that the sultan presented the army commander with the holy standard when he set out on campain.
Within the gates is the Audience Chamber, where the Grand Vezier and members of the Divan came to present their resolutions to the sultan for ratification. It was also here that foreign ambassadors were received. Right behind the Audience Chamber is the elegant library built by Ahmed III in the early 18th century.
The buildings in the southeast corner of this courtyard housed the Imperial Enderun, an institution where young boys taken as tribute from Christian families in the empire were trained for administrative posts in various state departments. Some of these rooms now house offices and others the costumes section. Beyond these is the famed Treasury where jewelled thrones, baskets of emeralds, inlaid daggers and other valuable objects are exhibited.
One of the buildings opposite the third gate houses an exhibition of the finest miniatures in the museum’s collection of over ten thousand. The Has Oda, where the most able of the young Enderun novices were educated, now contains a superb collection of calligraphy.
Passing through to the fourth courtyard beside the wing containing the miniatures brings us to a series of exquisite pavilions built by various sultans. The Bagdat and Revan Pavilions built for Murat IV are outstanding both in terms of their architecture and interior decoration. The Sofa Pavilion in the center was built in the tulip gardens laid out during the reign of Ahmet III. The pavilion of Sultan Abdulmecit on the right is now used as a restaurant.
Between the Bagdat and Revan pavilions is a marble terrace with a pool in the centre and an arbour with a gilded baldachin roof commanding a view over the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. The Apartment of the Holy Mantle opposite is the section where the holy relics brought back from Mecca by Selim I on his return from the Egyptian campaign are kept. Beside the western terrace is the Circumsision Chamber built by Sultan Ibrahim.
Topkapi Palace nowhere aspires to imposing height. Everywhere the axes are horizontal, and the style consciously humble, avoiding ostentatious monumental facades. While mosques, as the house of God, were deliberately built on a large scale wherever possible, the sultans did not seek similar grandeur for their own homes. That is why, if it were not for the intricate decoration of surfaces and monumental gates, Topkapi Palace could disappoint the visitor in search of the same definition of splendour as exhibited by European palaces.
Source : http://www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~history/topkapi.html
