What to See in Topkapı Palace

Topkapı Palace

An Ottoman palace, the treasure of our civilization in the historical peninsula, with one of the most beautiful landscapes that make up the silhouette of istanbul.

After the conquest of istanbul in 1453, the construction of Topkapı Palace, whose construction was started in 1460 at the request of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, was completed in 1478. Topkapı Palace, which was not built with all its annexes at once, like the Dolmabahçe Palace, has expanded with the buildings added until the 19th century.

Topkapı Palace is located in one of the oldest historical areas of istanbul in terms of location. Located on the historical istanbul Peninsula between the Marmara Sea, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, the palace is one of the iconic structures of istanbul. Topkapı Palace, built on an area of ​​700,000 square meters on the Eastern Roman acropolis in Sarayburnu, has been the administrative, educational and artistic center of the empire for about four hundred years, starting from Fatih Sultan Mehmet to the 31st Sultan Sultan Abdülmecid; It was also the home of the sultans. Topkapı Palace, which was abandoned by the dynasty moving to Dolmabahçe Palace since the mid-19th century, has preserved its historical importance and value.

Private Tour

Private Guided istanbul Sightseeing Tour

Half-day Piravet istanbul City Tour is a fully guided tour. See the historical top landmarks of istanbul Sultanahmet. Such as Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, and Hippodrome.

4 Hours Half-day Private Guided Sultanahmet tour.

Certified professional guide in various language options

Historical Tour Private Guide VIP Transfer

€ 199 Per Person

Private Guided istanbul Tour

All Year Around

View More

What are worth seeing in Topkapı Palace?

1. Ottoman administration, art and education center

It is built on an area of ​​700,000 square meters on the Eastern Roman acropolis. It has been used as the administration, education, and art center of the empire for about four hundred years from the Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror to the 31st sultan, Sultan Abdulmecid, and was also the sultan’s house. Although it was abandoned by the dynasty moving to Dolmabahçe Palace in the middle of the 19th century, it has always kept its importance.

2. One of the largest palace-museums in the world

After the establishment of the Republic of Turkey April 3, it became a museum in 1924 and is the first museum in the Republic of Topkapi Palace Museum, currently covers an area of about 300,000 square meters. Sur-i Sultani, built by Fatih, and Topkapı Palace, which is separated from the city by the East Roman walls by the sea, is one of the biggest palace-museums of the world with its architectural structures, collections and about 300,000 archive documents.

3. Sacred Relics

Kaaba keys, kaaba groove, fountain table, destimal room, Hz. Moses’ wand, Hz. Yahya’s relays, Hz. The footprint of the Prophet, the model of Masjid al-Aqsa, Arzhane, Hz. The sancak enclosure of the Prophet, the Beard-i sheriff, Hz. The Seal of the Prophet.

4. Harem

“Harem”, the private area where the Sultan lived with his family members, was in the Old Palace (Beyazıt) until the Sultan Süleyman period. Since the time of Hürrem Sultan, when Suleiman the Magnificent was connected with great love, Harem started to move to Topkapı Palace.

Since Harem is an area where every Sultan and Valide Sultan add rooms and make arrangements, it stands out as an unplanned settlement consisting of narrow rooms that are intertwined. Unfortunately, the general spaciousness, scenery and architecture of the palace intertwined with nature are not seen in the Harem section.