Topkapi Palace

After the fall of Constantinople, the Topkapi Palace became the main residence of the Ottoman sultans and their households, and at the same time played the role of the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire in the period from 1465 to 1853. By the time of the most glorious days of the Ottoman Empire, in the Topkapi Palace resided about 4,000 people. It became known as the Topkapı Palace in the 19th century.

Formerly, it was known as the New Palace in order to be distinguished from the old residence of the sultan in Istanbul, namely Eski Sarayi. The Topkapi Palace, is located at the tip of a strip of land on the European part of the city of Istanbul and was built at the site of an old acropolis of ancient Greek Byzantion. The construction of this new palace was ordered in 1459 by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, whose idea is also the establishment of the layout of the palace. Hiring the most experienced craftsmen all around the empire and using the most expensive and rare materials, Sultan Mehmet completed his aim to give back the city its former glory by completion of The Topkapi Palace in 1465. With its facourable location overlooking the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus, the Topkapi Palace deserves its reputation of a primary residence of the Turkish sultans. Composed of a conglomeration of many smaller buildings and four courts, the palace is full of examples of Ottoman style and architecture. The Topkapi Palace also owns large collections of porcelain, robes, Ottoman treasures and jewelry, weapons, armors, miniatures, Islamic manuscripts and mural decorations. The Topkapı Palace was transformed into a museum displaying specifics of the imperial era since 3 April 1924, and is now one of Istanbul's greatest tourist attractions.