Topkapi Palace in Istanbul was the home of Ottoman sultans for 400 years. It has survived natural disasters and additions to the original structure. The palace is now a museum housing famous artifacts and lush gardens, attracting many visitors. The palace was designed with four main courtyards and numerous small structures that could accommodate thousands of people at a time. The palace functioned much like one’s own self-contained city. The most popular artifacts are the sword and cloak that once belonged to the Prophet Muhammad. The open-air sections of Topkapi Palace are also particularly spectacular, offering stunning views of the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus Sea.
Topkapi Palace in the European city of Istanbul, Turkey was the palatial home of the Ottoman sultans from the mid-15th to the mid-19th centuries. Named after the Topkapi Cannon Gate, located within the ancient walls of Istanbul, the structure was completed over many years. It was begun in the 15th and has survived earthquakes, fires and many additions to the original structure. The palace has been a museum since the 19th. Housing famous artifacts and lush gardens in a spectacular location, the museum attracts large numbers of visitors each year.
Ottoman sultans ruled for over 600 years and held power over a vast empire from Eastern Europe to Iraq. Topkapi Palace was an extravagant example of the wealth and power of the sultans and was the site of many lavish meetings, events and entertainment shows. Initially, the palace was designed with four main courtyards and numerous small structures that could accommodate thousands of people at a time. Additions over many centuries include religious meeting places, medical facilities and a money manufacturing plant. The palace functioned much like one’s own self-contained city and provided nearly everything a sultan could want without needing to leave the confines of the palace.
As of 2011 the palace attracts thousands of visitors a year due to its rich history and the fact that it is home to a number of important historical artifacts and relics. The most popular of these are the sword and cloak that once belonged to the Prophet Muhammad. There are also many collections of fine ceramics, calligraphy, ancient manuscripts, murals and royal jewellery. Topkapi Palace employs Turkish ministerial guards to protect these collections and the hundreds of individual rooms. Much of the building is inaccessible to the general public, and other areas are only accessible with the escort of expert guides.
The open-air sections of Topkapi Palace are also particularly spectacular, with many areas offering stunning views of the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus Sea. The trees in the courtyards are famous for their hollow trunks, resulting from a rare type of fungus that has spread through the gardens but failed to kill the greenery. In the second courtyard garden, two species of trees have intertwined and now grow together as one tree. These courtyards and segregated buildings are arranged to highlight distinctions between classes, functions and hierarchies.
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