A Day in the Harem, Topkapi

It is hard to imagine that by the nineteenth century the Ottoman Emperors needed a new palace, but they built one nevertheless. The old palace, called Topkapi (the Cannons) is still magnificent. We visited the Tower of Justice, then went into the Harem, the private quarters for the royal family. The ornamentation and the architecture constantly bring surprises with innovation and daring color combinations. Blue and gold stained glass harmonize exquisitely with the gold and the wood on the walls and floors, for example. Our guide, Kenan, was a wealth of information about why the harem, multiple wives and one single successor to the Caliph were essential to the Ottoman royalty. In Topkapi Palace one's historical imagination runs wild.Read more