Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace Complex was built between 1459 and 1478 and was intended for Sultan Mehmed II.

The palace is divided into four courtyards, which in turn are separated from each other by a gate with symbolic names. In the First Court lead the main Imperial gate. On the territory of the First Court there is also the Church of St. Irene, the Archaeological Museum, the old imperial mint, as well as many fountains, gardens and pavilions.

The territory of the Second Court can be accessed through the Gate of Greetings, which has a huge size. This courtyard is a park that is surrounded by a palace hospital, bakery, stables and an imperial harem. The third courtyard can be reached through the Gate of Happiness. This courtyard can rightly be called the heart of the entire imperial palace, since magnificently flowering gardens stretch on its territory. Here is the Hall of the Chamber of Secrets, where the imperial servants of the emperor sat. It is located in the third courtyard of the harem, as well as several pavilions, one of which houses the library of Ahmed III. The fourth courtyard of Topkapi Palace, where there are several pavilions and terraces, was the personal garden of the sultan.

The main pride of the museum is a huge collection of treasures accumulated during the 470 years of the reign of the sultans of the Ottoman dynasty. When Turkey became a republic in 1923, all valuables became state property and were placed on display in Topkapi Palace. There are treasures received as a gift from foreign ambassadors, works of art and applied art created by court masters, trophies captured during the wars.