What’s Inside Topkapi Palace? | Courtyards, Gardens, Harem & More

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.