Hello Hivers and travelers! Today, I continue to document on the blockchain my trip to Istanbul at the end of 2019.
And it's time to share some notes of our visit to one of the must-see sights when visiting Istanbul for the first time, the Topkapi Palace.
This palace was the residence of sultans during the Ottoman Empire. And it is located very close to Sultanahmet Square.
On our visit, we spent half a day touring the courtyards and some of the buildings that make up the palace. But I can tell you can easily spend almost the whole day if you want to visit everything.
Topkapi PalaceWe purchased the tickets to enter the palace at the ticket booths located in the first courtyard. While we were waiting to buy them, we saw a couple of guards on horseback passing by.
First Courtyard Topkapi PalaceTickets in hand, we entered the second courtyard of the palace through the Gate of Salutation.
The large Gate of Salutation, also known as the Middle Gate (Turkish: Orta Kapı), leads into the palace and the Second Courtyard. This crenellated gate has two large, pointed octagonal towers. Its date of construction is uncertain; the architecture of the towers appears to be of Byzantine influence. An inscription at the door dates this gate to at least 1542. Source
The Gate of Salutation, Topkapi PalaceDuring our visit, we visited several of the buildings that make up the palace and which are distributed around the different courtyards.
I don't have photos of all of them. And I seem to remember, in some of them, photography indoors was not allowed.
Second Courtyard Topkapi PalaceWe visited the imperial treasury collection. Also, the building where the palace kitchens were, and there was a collection of utensils and crockery used during the Ottoman Empire.
Second Courtyard Topkapi Palace - Imperial Council Chamber buildingI also remember that we visited the Imperial Council Chamber. And in the photo below is the entrance to this building.
Imperial Council Chamber - Topkapi PalaceBut one of the most impressive parts of the palace is undoubtedly the Harem. It was the residence of the sultans and their wives. To visit the Harem, we needed to buy a separate entrance ticket.
Harem - Topkapi PalaceMany of the rooms are not open to the public, and many are under restoration. However, we could visit some of the rooms and see the lavish decorations.
Harem - Topkapi PalaceThe harem was home to the sultan's mother, the Valide Sultan; the concubines and wives of the sultan; and the rest of his family, including children; and their servants.[74] The harem consists of a series of buildings and structures, connected through hallways and courtyards. Every service team and hierarchical group residing in the harem had its own living space clustered around a courtyard. The number of rooms is not determined, with probably over 100, Source.
Harem - Topkapi PalaceAmong all the rooms we were able to visit, it was one of the Sultan's bathing rooms.
Harem - Sultan's bath - Topkapi PalaceThis was one of the inner courtyards of the Harem that was open to visitors.
Harem - Inner Courtyard - Topkapi PalaceAnd here is a closer look at the exterior of one of the apartments of the Harem.
Harem - Topkapi PalaceAfter the visit to the Harem, we continue our tour through the courtyards of the Palace, visiting some of the other buildings, such as the Library of Ahmed III.
Library of Ahmed III - Topkapi PalaceFrom the outer gardens of the Palace, there are magnificent views of the Bosphorus.
And one of the many things you can see from this point is the Haliç Metro Bridge, also known as Golden Horn Bridge.
Haliç Metro Bridge, view from Topkapi Palace gardensAfter a short walk through the gardens, we leave the palace grounds through the first courtyard. On the way out, we pass by the Hagia Irene building, a former orthodox church.
Hagia IreneIt was used as an arsenal for storing weapons until the 19th century. The Hagia Irene today operates as a museum and concert hall. Source.
We leave the palace using the imperial gate. Crossing it, we come across the Ahmed III Fountain. And from that point, we walked a few meters to reach Sultanahmet.
Ahmed III Fountain and the Imperial Gate of Topkapi Palace in the backThis is how our visit to the Topkapi Palace went, and it is for sure one of the places to not miss when visiting Istanbul for the first time.
Thank you for reading!
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Nice pictures 💐 Istanbul 😊 !love
Thank you for stopping by :)
!CTP
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These are wonderful photos, it looks like it's very well maintained. I think I would have maybe felt a bit awkward walking through a Sultan's bathing room though.
Hi! thank you very much:) And now that you mention it, it's a bit awkward to have walked around and seen the sultans' toilet, hehe.
Thank you for stopping by :)
!CTP
Se ve tan hermoso ese lugar, creo que podría quedarme allí todo un día y hasta mas. felicidades por tu post
Gracias Caro, el lugar invita a perderse en él y a imaginar cómo pudo ser la vida allí en otros tiempos.
¡Un abrazo! :)
!CTP
It looks pretty great there and worth visiting along with the Hagia Sophia. I still didn't visit Istanbul yet, but when the kids are abit older then it could be time.
It is definitely worth a visit. Apart from the monuments, Istanbul is a beautiful city with a lot of vibes, you are sure to enjoy it a lot on a family holiday.
!CTP
I enjoyed every photo, excellent all of them, very eloquent and well managed... It's a beautiful place and your article is very well done!... Thank you for sharing this, it has been a pleasure to look at and read it @coquicoin friend!... Regards!
Thank you very much for the kind words. And for sharing my post on Twitter. Very much appreciated.
Saludos!
!CTP
The pleasure is mine, it's a lovely post.... happy weekend and blessings!....
Happy weekend to you too :)
Wow, what a stunning place @coquicoin 🥰
Wonderfully captured. Love the walk through. Thanks for that.
Happy weekend to you… soon 👋🏻👋🏻😊 enjoy it.
Thank you, Jackie :)
Happy weekend to you, too 😄🤗
!CTP
You are welcome @coquicoin 😊
Thanks a lot 🤗🥰🌺
!PIZZA
The first thing that struck me was the thought of boiling oil being poured from the parapet down to attackers below!
Then inside was the bright colours, that is a huge difference to similar aged buildings here in the UK.
Awesome tour and I loved the hair by the way Super Eli💙
Enjoy the rest of your Friday and have a wonderful weekend.
The bright colors of all the rooms were stunning. Also, the toilet area is very different from what I've seen in old buildings in Europe or here in America.
And thank you, Super Ed 💙😉
Have a wonderful and magic weekend 🤗
!CTP !LOL
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Yes seriously stunning Super Eli
The toilet area was different, mind you the charming rascal was more interested in exploring the harem 🤣
and jeje you are very welcome Super Eli
Thank you :)
Haha!!! I imagine that of course the charming rascal would have loved the Harem in the Ottoman times, and would have been a great Sultan for sure, haha.
hehe a great Sultan hehe well when he has his pick when he wants he should be a great Sultan Super Eli 😁😉
So much extra was the ticket?
Jaja!!! Ed, the Sultan :) Merhaba!
The Harem ticket I think was about half the price of the ticket for the rest of the Palace. If I remember correctly I think it was 100 Turkish Liras for the Harem ticket. But it was worth it. It is silly to go to Topkapi and not visit the Harem in my opinion. ;)
jaja Ed the Sultan is here!
Well if you are going to visit something historical then you need to see it all, and seeing the Harem sounds good value too!
Oh courtyard! I never got a chance to visit one.
The harem place looks so spacious, seems was ready for a large number of family.
Yep, that building was huge and had so many rooms.
Thank you for stopping by :)
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Thank you very @choogirl and @pinmapple :)
I've long wanted to visit Turkey and especially Istanbul, which has so much to offer that it still remains a place on my short list.
Very nice post and pictures attached here.
Thank you very much :)
The entrance looks like the ancient palace gate where warriors stay ready to attack. Nice pictures, i wish i travel as much as you do.
Thank you, Happy Boy!
I hope you will travel a lot someday :)
!CTP
It's beautiful place
Thanks for stopping by :)
Aah. Once again, I am getting the sense of nostalgia. I visited Istambul and Topkapi palace in 2015. Your post brings back so many lovely memories. The pictures make me feel I am walking in the palace grounds again. Thanks my friend
Hi, there!! I'm glad my posts bring you back lovely memories :)
And I would love to visit Istanbul someday, again. 🤞
Have a great week 😄
!CTP
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Everything about the palace speaks of royalty. Love the details and intricate designs. I wonder why the separate ticket for the Harem though?
The Harem ticket was separate I think because it is the largest building in the palace and the most striking. The building that most people show interest in visiting. We visited it in winter and it was very crowded. I guess in summer it will be much more crowded. And it is common in some countries that these museums/palaces have separate tickets for some of the most popular attractions.
!PIZZA
To be crowded in winter and summer, that tells a lot about that place. If I were to visit the palace, that would probably the first one I'll check :D
Historic! I love the place Coqui! Definitely it should be included in the bucket list.
Thank you :) It is worth being included 🤗
!CTP
I thought I was reading a fairytale book! Everything beautiful, amiga!
Thank you, amiga 😘
Xoxoxoxoxo
❤️❤️❤️
Have a great day, amiga!
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Thank you very much!! 😊😄
You're welcome @coquicoin! Have a nice day 😊👍🌹
Wow - I really would love to go to Istanbul someday - so much history !
!PIZZA
I hope you'll visit it. It is so worth it.
!CTP
Wow you traveled to Istanbul. I want to go some day. The pics are awesome and looks like the place is beautiful 🤩
We had to make a stopover there and took the chance to visit for a few days, and it was totally worth it. :)
Thank you for stopping by 😊
Thank you