On a spit of land at the confluence of the Bosphorus, the golden Horn and the Marmara Sea stands the Topkapi Palace, the maze of buildings at the center of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries. In these opulent surroundings, the sultans and their court lived and governed. A magnificent wooded garden fills the outer, or first, court. On the right of the second court, shaded by cypress and plane trees, stand the palace kitchens, now galleries exhibiting the imperial collection of crystal, silver and Chinese porcelain. To the left the Harem, the secluded quarters of the wives, concubines and children of the sultan, charms visitors with the echoes of the intrigue of centuries. Today the third court holds the Hall of Audience, the Library of Ahmet III, an exhibition of imperial costumes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the treasury and a priceless collection of miniatures from medieval manuscripts. In the center of this innermost sanctuary, the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle enshrines the relics of the Prophet Mohammed brought to Istanbul when the Ottomans assumed the caliphate of Islam. (Open every day except Tuesday.)

18.04.2008