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Published: April 14th 2024
Day 2 Monday morning early . Breakfast was served at 7.30. Breads, yoghurts, cheeses of every description, selections of cereals, jams and other nice things . Salad which seemed out of place . Fresh lemonade a feature of every restaurant . The bed had proved fine for me but rather hard for Glenn who prefers softer beds . Room service changed the towels . I would probably in the interests of recycling and reusing been happy to keep the old ones for another day . Room service came in three times during the day . Replacing towels on the first visit , replenishing coffee the second time round and a final third visit called room control . Never did find out what that was . I was accosted at breakfast by a guy who spoke to me in a language I did not understand . It turned out he thought I was Russian . He was born in Siberia but lived in the United States , had friends in Scotland and spoke English and German .
After breakfast we left the hotel and walked up to the Topkapi palace . The temperature even at this early hour of the morning
was warmer than back home . Around 16 degrees early in the day rising to over 23 degrees .
We had already purchased tickets to skip the line for the palace from a company called HeadOut . Easily found on the internet , paid for in euros in advance and the ticket loaded to our phones . The tickets gave us skip the line entrance which would save us time queuing and being searched . A guide was due to meet us at 9.15 at the Topkapi Cafe outside the palace walls. This was easy to find which was a good start . The booth to exchange tickets was in the cafe courtyard . The staff were helpful and friendly and exchanged our e-ticket for paper ones. We were encouraged to have a coffee, sit down and wait for just wander around until the guide arrived and called us . We sat by the fountain waiting for the guide to arrive to take us in . Waiting gave us the opportunity to people watch . To walk a short way along the walls that were built around the palace and to view the Bosphorous . We could see the
large cargo ships travelling across the strait between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.
The fountains are known as a Sadirvan and were built based upon the Koranic principle of water being the source of life . It was a civic duty to provide clean water for drinking and for ablutions . So we were in time to see many of these fountains housed in large ornate buildings around the city . The large ones were in the larger open squares and were extremely beautiful. Smaller wells with water channels were on every street corner and in front of every mosque . Water was even left on the street for the many stray cats and dogs that wandered the streets. Unlike the Greek the Turkish seemed to care for the dogs and cats as much as they cared for people .
Some civic fountains were known as cesme and were built in mosque courtyards . They were stunning and the one built by Sultan Ahmet III in 1728 outside the palace was a fine one with basins on all four sides and calligraphy beautifying the walls. Tulip designs were incorporated into the ironwork and gates and
tulips grew almost everywhere . A favourite flower of the sultans the tulip was in full bloom in all the gardens at this time of the year . Iris seemed to be the other predominent flower . Almost always deep purple . The walls of the fountain were covered in calligraphy . It would have been good to be able to read it but despite not understanding a word of it you could not fail to impressed with its beauty .
The Topkapi was the official residence of the sultans until they moved to the waterside palace of Dolmabache. High walls kept the population out and the sultan protected here . Gun toting guards stood at the Imperial Gate the first entrance to the complex .
Our guide arrived , introduced himself and explained the process . He would take us through the first gate - the Imperial Gate and into the first Courtyard . He would get our tickets and issue them and we would pass through the entrance and security . Security was much higher here than back home . We were forever taking off jackets for scanning . Bags and cameras were scanned and we
had to pass through more than one X Ray machine . We began to see the enormity of the imperial residence once through security as it became clear that the court and the state administration was run from here . Expansive courtyards filled the interior beyond the gates and it clear to see that this was one of the worlds biggest palaces. It could take at least 3 hours to see everything inside from the calligraphy, the manuscripts in the library and relics from the Ottoman era .
Our guide chatted for a while and wondered if we had inadvertently booked on a guided tour . A horror scenario for us . We fell into conversation with a Belgian couple . She spoke good English and she explained they too hated guided tours . A quick chat with the guide told us that we had not booked for a guided tour and once into the Harem we were free to wander on our own.
The site is spread over 700,000 sq. meters on the stretch of land now called Sarayburnu meaning palace nose . The palace served over 30 sultans from Fatih Sultan Mehmet to Sultan n Abdülmecid,
We were being fed facts all the time as we walked . Perhaps guided tours are useful at times. We were told that the name Topkapi means Cannon Gate . Named because cannons were placed either side of the gate for defence .
We were reminded that the fountain outside was built in a Turkish Roccoco style . Roccoco not as we knew it though. Inside the first courtyard were the palace kitchens, the bakery , places of worship , the royal mint and warehouses. I think we passed these by without checking them out as Hagia Irene the 4th century church was covered in scaffolding inside and out which made viewing difficult . Renovation seemed a big thing in Turkey at the moment . Many of the tourist venues were closed for renovation which meant we missed things we really wanted to see . But it is swings and roundabouts . Could we wait to 2025 to see parts of the museum or the inside of the Galata Tower. Probably not . Some you win and some you lose .
We passed through the Gate of Salutations with its two small conical towers and the huge iron gate
from the time of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The guide ushered us through and we were nearing the end of his guided part of our visit . We would be free to roam in minutes . Here, you’ll also see the stables, the palace kitchens and its rising chimneys through the red brick walls. Here we were to find stables and more kitchens and the rising chimneys that make the palace unique to our eyes . It was not that busy but I imagine it would fill up during the day and perhaps we were visiting at the best time of the day.
We entered the Harem next . Situated in a corner if you did not know it was there you could miss it . More security . The Harem is closed for some reason on a Tuesday so many wishing to visit the palace paid the same price as we did but would only see two thirds. The Harem was interesting and said to be the most beautiful part of the palace . The word meant forbidden or private and was in the middle of the complex and housed 400 rooms . Said to be decorated with
colourful mosaics stained glass and gold it was described as intriguing . I felt it dark and and gloomy in parts . Probably cool in the height of summer but not an inviting place . Next you’ll see the most interesting part of the palace and from where you can access the Harem, probably the most beautiful part of the palace. Meaning ‘forbidden’ or ‘private’, Harem is the most intriguing aspect of the palace and sits in the middle of the complex, and had 400 rooms.There was probably no doubt that the life of concubine would have had its benefits but to my western eyes that did not wash despite the pleasant surroundings . Turkey has been a place where the role of women even today has felt at odds with our lifestyle . Subservient was a word that kept coming to mind and one I had to keep putting to the back of my thoughts .
From the Harem we had been told to head for the fourth courtyard where we would find what wealth brought to the sultan and his family. Through the
Gate of Felicitations we approached more and more magnificent buildings . The sheer wealth just shone off the walls with Iznik tiles , calligraphy everywhere and stunning gold thrones and sedans . All the pavilions in this area were highly decorated . An Audience Hall , a Privy Room and the palace schools . The children were well educated . This area would have been highly guarded with only the Sultan admitted . Open occaisionally for a few trusted administrators and statesmen it was the home of the sultan . And what a home. Views over the Bosphorous. Garden , pools and small fountains . Around each corner was a different view and a room with a different function . We viewed the Baghdad , the Revan and the Mecidiye Pavilions . Each were tiled in different styles and had seats in the windows on every side . You could move around during the day following or hiding from the sun and have a different view each time . We entered the Audience Hall were the state dignatories were received . The room of the Eunuchs , the room of the White Slaves . The Circumcision hall . I tried
to imagine that one with its gilded seats around the perimeter. Would it be packed for a circumcision ceremony ? Would there be music ? I guess it was a mixture of festive and anticipation . Perhaps fear .
By now we were getting palace overload . We found ourselves comparing it with the Alhambra . Better or just different ? I don't think we made a decision on that comparison . We still came across mother of pearl inlaid doors, massive libraries and the armoury museum . That room was modern and busy . There were displays of swords , costume, Faberge Eggs , . The final area we visited was highly guarded and I had to wear a headscarf to go inside . Expecting a mosque we were surprised to find it was a museum . We saw highly decorated books . I have always loved the old decorated Gospels we see in Lindisfarne or Ireland but these books were clearly sacred and the calligraphy stunning . Inside the glass cabinets were items related to the prophet so that explained the headscarf, the veneration and the imam in the corner . Sitting crosslegged he continually chanted passages
from the Koran . We found out later that passages are read 24 hours a day in that room because it holds the prophets mantel. We could only glimpse this through a doorway as it was so sacred . We did however see a bronze cast of the prophets foot . I estimated about size 13 and extremely large . The remains of his sandles were in other cases . Estimated size 5 and would fit me . Clippings from his beard completed the selection of relics . That reminded me of the Crusaders coming home with relics of the True Cross, Nails from the crucifixion , thorns from the crown of thorns . And there was one tooth from the prophet . All interesting and telling the story of belief throughout the ages .
We left the Topkapi at that point as we needed lunch before our next stop of the day . Was the visit worth it ? Most certainly . We both loved the architecture and the interior decoration. We had never seen anything so over the top . Bling jewellery, fabulous lights . We knew today why we chose to visit Istanbul . And to
top it all this was only the start of Turkish delights we had pencilled in . We also knew when we got to the hotel the calligrapher would have left us a momento of our trip . A hanging picture with our names handwritten on it in calligraphy . We were looking forward to getting to see how he had displayed our names in a stunning script . And yes we picked up a Topkapi magnet for our collection .
Our next stop lunch and then the Basilica Cistern. Another very different tourist attraction in Istanbul .
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