Topkapı Palace

Topkapı Palace stands on Sarayburnu Point in Istanbul, where the Bosphorus and Golden Horn meet the Sea of Marmara. Built between 1460 and 1478 by order of Sultan Mehmed II, it took its name from the “Cannon Gate,” as salutes were fired whenever the sultan departed. Until the mid-19th century it was the principal residence and centre of power of the Ottoman Empire; Hürrem Sultan moved the harem here during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. The palace became a museum in 1923. Topkapı is divided into several courtyards entered through monumental gates: the first contains the mint and Hagia Irene; the second is entered through the Gate of Salutation and includes the kitchens and Hürrem’s bath; through the Gate of Felicity, the sultan and his family entered the third courtyard with the Audience Chamber, treasury and Library of Ahmed III. The palace follows an Eastern architectural concept without strict symmetry, as each section was built separately.

Legend says that the Topkapı Dagger, covered with emeralds and diamonds, was used for secret assassinations: a small clock hidden in its hilt counted down the victim’s final seconds.