Istanbul 4--Topkapi Palace

Under the direction of Sultan Mehmed II, conquerer of the Constantine Empire, construction started on Topkapi Palace about 560 years ago, and continued for the next 400 years. I found this palace to be nothing like the palaces in western civilizations. There are no internal hallways. Instead, the palace consists of huge courtyards surrounded by covered walkways connecting to rooms. In later years, buildings were added in the middle of the courtyards for specific purposes, for example the library, and the throne room is actually a throne building. There are thousands of antiquities stored throughout the palace, including lining the walls of the open-air walkways.

The rooms throughout the palace are decorated with exceptionally exquisite detail, using gold, gems, beautiful tiles and delicate mosaics.

This is a view of the New City region of Istanbul from Topkapi Palace.

These are views of the Bosphorus Strait.

This is a view of the Asian section of Istanbul across the Bosphorus Strait from Topkapi Palace.

I think this was the library.

When you go there, pay the extra 15 TL to follow these people on a tour of the Topkapi Palace Harem. It's a good way to invigorate your imagination.

This is the entrance to the Ottoman congress room.

A really, really old tree that has witnessed the growth and fall of the Ottoman Empire.

The main entrance to the palace.

I also visited the Dolmabache Palace, which was built by the Ottoman Empire's 31st sultan, because the Ottoman Empire was beginning to decline in power because the development of oceanic shipping transportation was diminishing Istanbul's cross-roads trade. So the plan was to build a western-style palace to entertain European leaders. The Dolmabache Palace is absolutely the most fabulous palace I have ever seem. It makes the Palace of Versailles seem unremarkable. Anyway, the construction of the Dolmabache Palace was such a financial strain on the Ottoman Empire that instead of facilitating opportunity by reopening European trade, it accelerated the empire's spiral into economic ruin. Ironic, eh?