Day 5: Topkapi Palace, Archie Meskhidze

Back to the usual schedule, we left the hotel at nine, today's first (and only) stop was the Topkapi Palace. The Palace is a massive construct that served as the residence for the Sultan, his advisors, harem, and guards. The total size of the palace is over 70 square kilometres and housed up to 6000 people. The palace is made up of four courtyards, within the first courtyards, smaller construction inhabits the enclosed areas. While the inner courtyards—that are only for the Sultan and those he has approved—are surrounded by an almost wall of buildings. 

The Palace rests on a large hill that must first be climbed to reach the initial gates. Making this trek we followed the outer walls, still just as sturdy as the day they were built (around 1460). Stepping inside we almost immediately get a glimpse of our first destination, the Hagia Eirene. One of, if not the oldest churches still standing in Istanbul it was built around 324 by the Roman Emperor Constantine. Inside the church, there is a massive overhead dome, a Cintranon at the front, and a cross painted on a half cylinder gazing over us. 

The Church survived being converted into a mosque, ironically, because of its position inside the Palace grounds. Instead, the Ottomans opted to preserve it, and use the church as a military depot. And today the Church is actually used as a music venue, typically for classical orchestras to perform. In fact, the acoustics of Hagia Eirene are so strong these concerts are performed without the usage of any form of speaker system or microphone. This Church—being the age that it is—witnessed the iconoclastic period of Byzantium. Many regions of the fresco (coloured plaster) have fallen off to reveal gorgeous and intricate mosaic pieces that had previously been covered. 

Following this brief church visit, we started to journey deeper into the Palace. Making brief visits to a few rooms of the outer regions. For example Sultan's advisory council room. An interesting fact about this specific room is that the sultan sat overhead, watching the council from above. If he became frustrated with the path the debate took he would shut the curtain, signalling an end to the council. Following this, we entered the Harem building. The Women of the palace mostly resided within this building. Up to 700 women lived in around 300 rooms in the Harem. This building (or building complex) would house the Concubines, Wives, Children, and Mother of the Sultan. Guarded by eunuchs no man—other than the Sultan and the guards—was allowed to enter the Harem. The most grandiose room within the Harem belongs to the “Queen Mother,” the Sultan's mom.  Decorated with vibrant tiles and detailed drawings (iconography is mostly tolerated when it comes to the Sultan and his circle. 

This room was the final part of the Harem we visited. From here the first room we would enter was the entertainment area, decorated with all sorts of exotic gifts. The ceiling was covered in Dutch tiles, Ming Empire Era vases sat next to the sultans bench, and various foreign pieces given to the Ottomans. This would often be a sign of respect, alliance, or mutual friendship. After exploring the living quarters of the Sultan we exited into the third courtyard. Here we were able to see the building where much of the Ottoman governmental and military plans were laid out. As such the room was kept extremely secure, impossible to eavesdrop even the servants for this room were deaf. 

After this the official tour ended and we were released to explore the palace on our own. My little group elected to go to the armoury and clock rooms. Here we saw pieces of armour and weapons the Ottoman armies and Sultans would use throughout history; and one of the largest cut diamonds discovered at the time. We also got a glimpse at the terrific views from the ocean edge of the Palace. After this, we decided to wrap it up–not before taking a quick detour to the gift store of course.