Travel Photography | Topkapi Palace | Istanbul Turkey

© 2012 Wazari Wazir | Gate of Salutation | Topkapi Palace | Istanbul Turkey

The Topkapı Palace (Turkish: Topkapı Sarayı or in Ottoman Turkish: طوپقپو سرايى) is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign.

As well as a royal residence, the palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments. It is now a major tourist attraction and contains important holy relics of the Muslim world, including Muhammed’s cloak and sword. The Topkapı Palace is among the monuments contained within the “Historic Areas of Istanbul”, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and is described in Criterion iv as “the best example[s] of ensembles of palaces of the Ottoman period.

Construction began in 1459, ordered by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Byzantine Constantinople. The palace complex consists of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. At its peak, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people,and covered a large area with a long shoreline. The complex was expanded over the centuries, with major renovations after the 1509 earthquake and the 1665 fire.

The palace contained mosques, a hospital, bakeries, and a mint. The name translates as “Cannon gate Palace” from a nearby gate which has since been destroyed.
From the end of the 17th century the Topkapı Palace gradually lost its importance as the Sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosporus. In 1856, Sultan Abdül Mecid I decided to move the court to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace, the first European-style palace in the city. Some functions, such as the imperial treasury, the library, and the mint were retained in the Topkapı Palace.

Following the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1921, the Topkapı Palace was transformed by a government decree dated April 3, 1924 into a museum of the imperial era. The Topkapı Palace Museum is administered by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The palace complex has hundreds of rooms and chambers, but only the most important are accessible to the public today.

The complex is guarded by officials of the ministry as well as armed guards of the Turkish military. The palace includes many fine examples of Ottoman architecture. It contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasures and jewelry.

*Source Wikipedia

Enough about the history of Topkapi Palace, and lets talk about photography here. We spent almost an hour outside the main entrance of Topkapi Palace taking picture before we enter the palace, the weather was very good on that day because few days before, it was raining and that’s the reason why we never came to this place on the very first day we arrived at Istanbul.

We travel on our own, so we can take as many times as we want and unlike traveling with travel agency, they have a very limited amount of times visiting certain places. Anyway before we get lost inside the Palace, we make a deals among ourselves that we must meet at certain place at such times and such times, on this visit we spent more than four hours inside the palace.

Personally for me, there is not much photographic opportunity inside the palace that I find interesting, maybe may taste is different from my other friends but nevertheless there is plenty of historical things to be seen inside the palace where you can’t see it anywhere else in the world. Most of the items are not a replica but the real one.

To those who like architecture and like to learn about the history of Turkey, then I think one whole day visit will never be enough, it was very rich with history, there is also a restaurant here inside the palace but I think, the price is too expensive for my pockets, but yes you get to view the beautiful Bosphorus while having your lunch inside the palace and I think that’s one of the reason why the price is a little bit expensive.

I don’t take many pictures inside the place but very busy looking at the items displayed at the museum which most of them are more than thousand years old.

So next time if you have a chance to visit Istanbul, make sure to visit Topkapi Palace and even if you are very short on time, just get inside the palace, get inside the Imperial Gate, just behind Aya Sofya and take few pictures of yourself outside the Salutation Gate, but if you brings your family here, and with your children, then maybe you should spent one whole day or at least half day here, there is plenty of history here that will enriched your children’s  knowledge, (children seven years old and above), if you have small kids like me, below five years old, then maybe they will get bored, this is not a Disneyland.

Anyway, Topkapi Palace is just a walking distance from Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya, if you stay at Taksim, then just take the tram and get down at Sultanahmet Tram Station, and from there, you can start your explorations. We stay at Cemberlitas, nearby Cemberlitas Hamami and from there, it takes less than ten minutes leisurely walking to get to the Palace but normally it took us hours to get there, why? Simply because there is  a lot of photography opportunity along the way.

*In case you are wondering, how do I get those rich colours, just click the banner below…