A look behind the walls of one of Türkiye's most famous palaces... where the sultans and slave girls lived

Some countries and empires declare their greatness through towering castles and fortresses that impose their presence on the horizon, but Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, differs from this model. Despite the splendor of the Imperial Gate dating back to the fifteenth century, the palace seems hidden among the major historical monuments in the Sultanahmet area, such as Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Basilica Cistern.

The palace is surrounded by a wall about five kilometers long, which made it a symbol of authority based on prestige and isolation. Topkapi Palace was the beating heart of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 4 centuries, and from within it were managed the affairs of an empire that extended at its height during the seventeenth century across three continents, from Vienna to Algeria and Mecca.

Today it is considered one of the greatest remaining historical palaces in the world, along with the Palace of Versailles and the Forbidden City in China. The palace is located in a strategic location at the head of a peninsula overlooking the Bosphorus Strait, the Golden Horn, and the Sea of ​​Marmara, and it is the place where the Acropolis of the ancient city of Byzantium was located.

After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II ordered the construction of the palace in 1459, taking advantage of the old Byzantine fortifications to establish his new complex. The palace consists of 4 main courtyards, in addition to the harem wing, which includes about 400 rooms.

Each courtyard was more private than the one before it, so that freedom of entry gradually diminished. As for the harem, where the Sultan and his family resided, no foreign man was allowed to enter it unless he was a eunuch.

The first courtyard was open to the unarmed public and included the ancient church of Hagia Irini, the Imperial Mint, bakeries, and a number of fountains. One of the most famous is the Executioner's Fountain, which is linked to a legend that says that the executioner used to wash his sword in it after carrying out executions.

As for the Peace Gate, it represented the beginning of the Sultan’s private world, and only the Sultan and his mother were allowed to enter it on horseback. Silence inside it was obligatory, and anyone who violated it was subject to punishment, in a clear embodiment of discipline and prestige within the court.

In the second courtyard, meetings of the Imperial Court were held under the leadership of the Grand Vizier, while the Sultan watched the discussions from behind a gilded window without the attendees seeing him. The palace buildings, despite their modest height, are distinguished by dazzling Ottoman decorations, especially the gilded arches and the colorful Iznik tiles covering the walls.

The former royal kitchens also house one of the largest collections of Chinese and Japanese porcelain in the world. The third courtyard was more private, and included reception halls, the imperial treasury, and the palace school, in which young men were prepared to assume senior administrative positions.

This system contributed to the formation of a ruling elite that owed its direct loyalty to the Sultan, which strengthened the centralization of power. The treasury contains valuable treasures, most notably the famous spoon maker’s diamond weighing 86 carats, and the Topkapı dagger studded with emeralds, in addition to gifts and antiques that came from various parts of the empire.

The Haramlik is one of the most controversial and misunderstood parts of the palace in Western novels. It was the residence of the Sultan, his wives, concubines and family members.

One of its most prominent characters is Sultana Hurrem, who moved from a slave girl to the legal wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, becoming one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history. Despite the splendor of the Haramalik’s decorations, the lives of many women inside it were full of isolation and restrictions.

Its guard was entrusted to black eunuchs who were brought from Africa after being castrated in childhood, while white eunuchs, mostly from the Balkans and the Caucasus, assumed administrative and supervisory responsibilities within the palace. As for the fourth courtyard, located at the highest point of the palace, it was the private sanctuary of the Sultan, and included gardens, beautiful pavilions, and balconies overlooking the Bosphorus and Istanbul.

Even today, this place gives the visitor a sense of the greatness of the Ottoman Empire, and allows him to imagine the scene that the sultans used to see as they stood on the edge of Europe, contemplating a vast empire that extended across the continents.