Topkapı Palace

For months I have been trying to get to the Topkapı Palace. At first, I had to figure out where it was...hidden behind the Aya Sophia. Once I figured out how to get onto the palace grounds I laughed at myself for not finding it sooner, as it is a large area with many buliding and large grass areas. The grass area infront of the palace remind me of a very miniature Central Park.

Once I found the palace, I would visit the entrance at least once a month to see which sections were open. My plan was to visit the palace when there would me a majority of the rooms open, as not to waste my time money on seeing so little. Well, it seemed there would never be a time where a majority of the rooms would be open, so given that I am here for a long time I figured I would visit now, and then again in a few months, hoping to see the rooms that were closed on my first visit.

At the beginning of July, I visited the Topkapı Palace. It was a hot day and the board at the entrance, which listed rooms that were closed, only showed a little less than half of the rooms open. So, I figured a quick trip would be okay.

This picture is actually of the large wall that surrounds the large palace and the park area just outside of the palace. It is actually taken from inside the park, as if you were leaving.

This picture is of the park area in front of the palace. You can see the entrance into the first courtyard of the Palace.

The entrance into the first courtyard.

A model of the Palace. If you look on the right side of the model, you can see the first courtyard entrance towers (from the picture above).

Once I was on the Palace grounds, I felt a tad bit overwhelmed, as I didn't know what to focus on. The area was large, so I just started entering rooms. Many of the rooms (if not all) were not ventilated, so it was very hot in them. I entered rooms such as the treasury, the Sultan's wardrobe, and a few others, but pictures were not allowed. So, sadly, my memory will have to hold strong with the quick glimpses I saw of very jeweled daggars and pendants and elegant outfits. Here are a few pics of what I could get...

Entrance into the Harem (I believe). I will get more details about the Harem when I visit again at a later time. I believe it was the housing used for the Sultan's women.

Entrance into the second part of the Palace.

The Baghdad Pavilion

The Circumcision Room

Rock walkway

I would highly recommend a funny movie from the 60's that I watched recently. It is called "Topkapi" and is about a group of guys and one woman who are trying to steal the famous jewel daggar. Very scenic and not too bad of a flic!