Topkapi Palace

Close to the Hagia Sophia is the Topkapi Palace. I was actually planning to go to the Archaeology Museum first and passed by the Topkapi Palace and noted a huge line to enter. When I got to the Museum, there was a line there too for the tickets but since I already had a pass I just needed to go through security and in, A group of people went to to the right through a security screening which I decided to use and suddenly I was in the Topkapi Palace via an unpublished side entrance!

In 1453 Mehmed the Conqueror took Istanbul and in 1460 began the construction of his grand palace complex which was completed in 1478.The complex covers 70 hectares, over three times the size of the Forbidden City in Beijing, which it reminded me of with its series of courtyards one after the other, each leading to a more 'senior' level of authority. The palace was the administrative, cultural and educational center of the Empire as well as being the royal residence for almost 400 years.

The Harem, which simply means the residence of the royal family, not the more salacious meaning, had more than 400 rooms, many quite pretty, and many different sections. This was the most interesting part of the palace and required a separate ticket.Read more