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What’s Inside Topkapi Palace? | Courtyards, Gardens, Harem & More
Topkapi PalaceInside
What’s inside Topkapi Palace?
Topkapi Palace Imperial Gate
The embellished and grand Imperial Gate of the palace marks the entrance to the First Courtyard. It leads directly to the Hagia Sophia and then turns northwest towards the Palace Square to the Fountain of Ahmed III. Through the Imperial Gate, to the south of the palace, the sultan would make their entry into the palace. Dating originally from 1478, this massive gate is now covered in nineteenth-century marble. In the structure's central arch, is a high-domed passage decorated with gilded Ottoman calligraphy, which includes verses from the Qur'an and Tughras of the Sultans.
Topkapi Palace Courtyards
The palace that served as the residence and the administrative headquarters for the Ottoman Sultans covers an area of 7,535,000 sq.ft., consisting of four courtyards surrounded by high walls. Each courtyard served a different purpose and was divided by an incrementally more restrictive gate, culminating into the most private third and fourth courtyards. Most of the palace's surviving buildings are low, one- or two-story structures that were used quite differently over the years, so some buildings, particularly in the harem, lack some clarity on their purpose.
Topkapi Palace HistoryTopkapi Palace First Courtyard
The First Courtyard, also known as the Janissaries Court and the Parade Court, is the largest and most extensive of the palace's courtyards and is surrounded by high walls to function as an outer precinct or park. Well-groomed janissaries and court officials would line up the path.
As you walk further, you pass through the Imperial Gate or the Gate of Salutation to witness the beautiful first courtyard. Two large, pointed octagonal towers adorn this crenelated gate. It is uncertain when the towers were built; their architecture has Byzantine influences. As only the sultan was permitted to enter the gate on horseback, passage through this gate was tightly controlled.
You can also find the Fountain of the Executioner here. After decapitation, the executioner was supposed to wash his hands and sword at the Fountain of the Executioner.
Inside Topkapi Palace Second Courtyard
Palace Kitchens
First constructed in the 15th century, the kitchens were expanded later during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. Mimar Sinan, the court architect, also reconstructed the kitchens after the fire in 1574.
The kitchens are located on a street that runs between the Second Courtyard and the Marmara Sea. You’ll have to pass through three doors to get here. The kitchens are divided into 10 different domed buildings and were the biggest kitchens in the Ottoman Empire. These kitchens served almost 4000 and more than 800 people worked here.
Porcelain Collection
In addition to displaying the kitchen utensils, the buildings also include a silver gifts collection and a large porcelain collection. The Ottomans would pay tributary visits to China and receive beautiful porcelain wares as rewards.
It is among the world's best porcelain collections with 10700 pieces of Chinese porcelain. In many cases, porcelains entered the palace collection as part of the estates of deceased persons and were sometimes given as gifts to members of the royal family or other senior officials.
Imperial Council
It was in this building where the Imperial Council, consisting of the Grand Vizier and other council ministers, met. The council building is located in the northwest corner of the courtyard next to the Gate of Felicity.
The current Imperial Council building was constructed during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent, the first building was constructed by Mehmed II. The building has multiple entrances. A green and white-colored wooden ceiling, decorated with gold, is affixed to the porch's marble and porphyry pillars. Its exterior entrances are in the rococo style, and gilded grills allow natural light inside.
Outer Imperial Treasury
The building where the arms and armor are exhibited was originally a treasury of the palace. As the Third Courtyard had an inner treasury, the one out here was also known as the Outer Treasury. The treasury financed the administration of the state.
In front of this building, there are remains of a religious Byzantine building dating back to the 5th century that were discovered in 1937. Historians were unable to identify these ruins with any of the churches built on the palace site, so it was named the Palace Basilica.
Arms Collection
Topkapi Palace has one of the world's greatest collections of Islamic arms. With a collection that spans 1300 years, you can see arms and weapons that date back to the 7th century. Most of the collection comprises Ottoman weapons, but it also includes swords and armor from the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties.
The rest of the collection consists of European and Asian arms in lesser numbers. Approximately 400 weapons are being displayed at the moment, most of which bear beautiful inscriptions.
Gate of Felicity
Leading to the Inner Court is the Gate of Felicity. Lean marble pillars support its dome which symbolizes the presence of the Sultan in the palace. No one was allowed entry through this gate without the Sultan’s permission. Even the Grand Vizier only gained entry on specific days and conditions.
The gate was probably constructed during the reign of Mehmed II. It was redecorated in the rococo style during the reign of Mahmud II. The gate is beautifully decorated with Quranic verses, gold leaves, baroque design elements and miniature landscape paintings.
Inside Topkapi Palace Third Courtyard
Audience Chamber
Right behind the Gate of Felicity is the Audience Chamber, also called the Chamber of Petitions. This 15th-century building is decked with beautiful blue, turquoise, and white tiles and decorated with precious carpets and pillows.
The main throne room is inside the audience chamber. The slightly elevated throne is covered with gold cloth and has a baldachin decked with several pieces of brocade with pearls and emerald and ruby plaques sewn in.
Behind this chamber is the Dormitory of the Expeditionary Force where you can find the Imperial Wardrobe Collection with more than 2500 garments, including the kaftans of the Sultans.
The Imperial Treasury
The Conqueror's Pavilion, or Conqueror's Kiosk, is one of the oldest buildings in the palace. A vast collection of artworks, jewelry, heirlooms, and money belonging to the Ottoman dynasty was kept at the Imperial Treasury. Its Chief Treasurer was responsible for maintaining it.
One of Sultan Mustafa III’s suits of armour is on display in the Treasury room, consisting of a gold-plated iron coat of mail embellished with jewels. The treasury also houses the Topkapı Dagger, the Spoonmaker's Diamond, and Sultan Mahmud I's throne.
Miniature and Portrait Gallery
On the north side of the Imperial Treasury stands the pages' dormitory, which is now the Miniature and Portrait Gallery. The lower floor houses a collection of important calligraphy and miniatures. A collection of old and precious Qurans from the 12th to 17th centuries, hand-painted and hand-written in Kufic, are on display, as well as an Arabic Bible dating back to the 4th century. This collection contains a priceless world map drawn by Turkish admiral Piri Reis, which shows with reasonable accuracy parts of the western coasts of Europe and North Africa, as well as the coast of Brazil.
Enderûn Library
The Neo-classical Enderûn Library, also known as the "Library of Sultan Ahmed III", is a stunning example of 18th-century Ottoman architecture. Located beneath the central arch of the portico is an elaborate drinking fountain with niches on each side. The library is clad in marble and a low basement protects its precious books from moisture.
A wall of cabinets houses the books. The niche opposite the entrance was the Sultan's private reading corner. Turkish, Arabic, and Persian texts about theology, Islamic law, and other aspects of scholarship were on display in the library.
Mosque of the Ağas
The Mosque of the Ağas is the largest of the palace’s mosques. As one of the city’s oldest structures, it dates back to Mehmed II’s reign in the 15th century.
A collection of about 13,500 books and manuscripts collected by the Ottomans, including those from the Enderûn Library, was moved here and the area was converted into the Palace Library in 1928. On the northeast side of the mosque is the Imperial Portraits Collection.
Royal Pages Dormitory
Within the Dormitory of the Royal Pages, which was part of the Sultan's chambers, is the Imperial Portraits Collection. Among the painted portraits are some rare photographs of the later Ottoman Sultans, displayed in glass cases. A large painted tree of Ottoman rulers is one of the most intriguing features of the palace. On one of the pillars of the domed chamber, there is an engraving of a cross from the Byzantine period.
Privy Chamber
A Pavilion of the Holy Mantle is located within the Chamber of Sacred Relics in the Privy Chamber. Sinan constructed the chamber under the reign of Sultan Murad III. It served as a palace office for the Sultan.
Here, one can see what are considered to be some of the “most sacred relics of the Muslim world”, including the cloak of Muhammad, a bow, two swords, his battle sabers, one tooth, the hair of his beard, and other Sacred Trusts.
Topkapi Palace Harem
The Imperial Harem, comprising over 400 rooms, was a section of the sultan's private apartments. It was home to the Sultan's mother, the Valide Sultan, his wife and concubines, his children, and servants. It consists of multiple buildings and structures interconnected by hallways and courtyards.
The harem wing was added at the end of the 16th century and is filled with Mimar Sinan's designs for the rooms and furnishings.
Topkapi Palace HaremInside Topkapi Palace Fourth Courtyard
Circumcision Room
A summer kiosk dedicated to circumcising young princes, which is a religious tradition in Islam for cleanliness and purity, was added by Sultan Ibrahim I in 1640. The exterior of the building is decorated with blue tiles with floral motifs. Despite being relatively spacious for the palace, the room is symmetrically proportioned and has windows with small fountains.
Yerevan Kiosk
For 40 days, Yerevan Kiosk was used as a religious retreat. The pavilion has a central dome and three apses for sofas and textiles. It also has a fireplace and a door on its fourth wall. Those facing the colonnade have marble walls, while the rest have blue-and-white İznik tiles, patterned after those from a century earlier.
Baghdad Kiosk
Baghdad Kiosk is located to the right of the fountain on the terrace. It was constructed after 1638 to commemorate Murad IV's Baghdad Campaign. It is similar to Yerevan Kiosk in appearance. A marble façade, porphyry strips, and verdant antiques cover the building. Marble panels adorn the portico in the style of the Cairene Mamluks. The interior illustrates the ideal Ottoman room.
Iftar Kiosk
A view of the Golden Horn can be seen from the gilded İftar Pavilion, also known as İftar Kiosk or İftar Bower. Today, it is a magnet for tourists for its photo opportunities. The ridged cradle vault on its roof was a first in Ottoman architecture, with echoes of China and India. During the month of Ramadan, the Sultan is said to have broken his fast here after sunset.
Terrace Kiosk
The Terrace Kiosk, also known as the Kiosk of Kara Mustafa Pasha, was built in the second half of the 16th century as a belvedere. Mahmud I rebuilt it in the Rococo style in 1752.
It consists of a main hall known as the Divanhane, a prayer room, and a Room for Sweet Fruit Beverages. The Sultan would entertain himself here by watching sporting or other events in the garden. While the building was used as a restroom earlier, in the Tulip Era, it was used as a guest lodge.
Head Tutor Tower
As the oldest building within the Fourth Courtyard, the Tower of the Head Tutor, also known as the Chamber of the Chief Physician and court drugstore, dates from the 15th century.
Both the Chief Physician and the Chief Tutor lived in this shared residence. Here, the Chief Physician prepared the medicines for the Sultan and the Imperial family. Patients received palace drugs prepared, mixed, and sealed in bottles, jars, boxes, or bowls, under his supervision and that of the Chief Tutor.
Grand Kiosk
Built in 1840, the Grand Kiosk, also known as the Mecidiye Kiosk, Grand Pavilion or Kiosk of Abdül Mecid I, was the palace's last significant addition, along with the adjacent Wardrobe Chamber. Because of their outstanding location, giving panoramic views of the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus, both were built on the orders of Sultan Abdül Mecid I as imperial reception and resting places. From their seaside palaces, the Sultans would stay here whenever they visited Topkapi Palace.
Terrace Mosque
Mahmud II constructed the Terrace Mosque of Topkapi Palace, also called the Sofa Mosque, in the Empire style for the use of the Sofa Ocaği corps in the 19th century. In its place once stood the Swordbearer’s Kiosk.
It appears that the mosque was restored in 1858 by Sultan Abdülmecid I, according to the inscription at the gate.
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Frequently asked qestions about what’s inside Topkapi Palace
What’s inside Topkapi Palace?
Topkapi Palace has four separate courtyards, a harem, an Imperial Treasury with many artifacts, ornaments, weapons, and precious gemstones, a library with thousands of books and other valuable items from Ottoman history, as well as pavilions and gardens. It also has many examples of mesmerizing Ottoman and Byzantine architecture in its structure.
Can I take a tour inside Topkapi Palace?
Yes, you can definitely take a tour inside Topkapi Palace. Simply book your Topkapi Palace tickets online, display your mobile voucher at the entrance, and gain access!
How big is Topkapi Palace?
Topkapi Palace is spread over a massive area of more than 700,000 square meters.
What are some of the must-see attractions inside Topkapi Palace?
We would definitely recommend that you visit the museum inside Topkapi Palace to see the Spoonmaker’s Diamond and the Topkapi Dagger along with other valuable items. You should also explore the Imperial Harem and the other rooms in the palace to admire their architectural beauty.
Can I go inside Topkapi Palace?
Yes, you can go inside Topkapi Palace as long as you purchase Topkapi Palace tickets. You will need to buy a separate ticket to visit the Harem and you can only enter when accompanied by a tour guide.
Do I need a ticket to go inside Topkapi Palace?
Yes, you will need to buy a ticket to enter Topkapi Palace. You can buy your Topkapi Palace tickets online.
Can I take pictures inside Topkapi Palace?
Visitors can take pictures inside certain areas of Topkapi Palace. You may have to get permission for professional photography.
Is it free to go inside Topkapi Palace?
No, you will have to buy a ticket to enter Topkapi Palace. The Topkapi Palace ticket prices start from €34.
Is going inside Topkapi Palace worth it?
Yes, it is definitely worth going inside Topkapi Palace. It is a treasure trove of some of the most valuable items from Ottoman history. It also has a rich history and culture that would definitely interest any travel enthusiast.
What are the opening hours to go inside Topkapi Palace?
Topkapi Palace is open from 9 AM to 6 PM every day, except on Tuesdays. Get detailed Topkapi Palace hours.
