Scribd
Upload
103 views17 pages

Topkapı Palace

The document provides an overview of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, including its construction, layout consisting of four courtyards and the Harem, and the functions of its various sections like the Enderun school and chambers.

Uploaded by

Bader Ayran
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
103 views17 pages

Topkapı Palace

The document provides an overview of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, including its construction, layout consisting of four courtyards and the Harem, and the functions of its various sections like the Enderun school and chambers.

Uploaded by

Bader Ayran
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 17

Topkapı Palace – A Historical

Overview

ISTANBUL: HISTORY, ART AND SOCIETY


BADER-EDDEEN AHMAD AYRAN
110190910
Understanding the Historical Context

Conquest of Istanbul:
In 1453, Sultan Mehmed
The Conqueror achieved
the amazing feat of
capturing the capital of the
Byzantine Empire,
Istanbul.
It marked the end of the
Byzantine and Roman
Empires.
Most of the Byzantine
Palaces where left in ruins.
Topkapı Palace: Construction
Initially, the Sultans used
the Old Palace as their
administrative location.
In 1459, Sultan Mehmed
II ordered the
construction of the New
Palace.
It was given the name
Topkapı, meaning
Cannon Gate, much later
in the 19th century.
Geographical Location
Topkapı Palace was set to
be constructed on the
Seraglio Point
(Sarayburnu).
Sarayburnu oversees the
Golden horn, where the
Marmara sea joins the
Bosphorus.
General Layout
The palace consists of 4
courtyards and a Harem,
each serving a different
purpose.
It also has 3 large gates,
Babıhümayun,
Babüsselam and
Babüssaade, which
restrict access to some of
the courtyards.
Babıhümayun and the First Courtyard
Babıhümayun, which means
Imperial Gate, leads to the
first courtyard: Court of
Processions (Alay Meydanı).
Workplace of the Birun
Officials.
Birun Officals work on
external services of the
Topkapı Palace, and are not
supposed to stay in the palace.
In 1527-1528, the total
number of servants in Birun
was 24,146.
Babüsselam and the Second Courtyard
Starting from the second
courtyard, access was much
more restricted.
It housed many administrative
buildings, and negotiations
about the state affairs took
place there.
There was a significant
difference in architecture and
decoration between the first
and second courtyards.
Many ceremonies where held
here, especially enthronement
ceremonies.
Babüssaade and the Third Courtyard
 Babüssaade seperated the
second courtyard from the
third.
 The latter represented the
private courtyard of the
Sultan.
 Harem, Enderun and the
Chamber of Petitions are
located here.
 The Chamber of Petitions is
where the Sultan accepted
people to discuss important
issues.
Enderun: A closer look
Enderun, which was the
Palace School, taught the
future administrative staff
of the palace.
Certain requirements must
be fulfilled in order qualify
to study in the Enderun.
Candidates would be both
preparing for the
administration as well as
performing various
services in the palace.
Harem: The Forbidden Place
The Harem is the most private
part of the third courtyard. It
is the quarters for the women
who lived in the palace.
It served 2 main functions: A
place where the sultan lives
with his mother, wife and
children; as well as an
educational place to provide
suitable matches for men near
the top of the
military/administrative
hierarchy.
The Fourth Courtyard
Originally part of the
Third Courtyard but
recent scholars have
identified it as more
separate to better
distinguish it.
Some of the structures
within it are:
Circumcision Room,
Yerevan Kiosk, İftar
Kiosk and Chamber of
the Chief Physician.
Closing Thoughts

Topkapı Palace represented the palace of the


Sultans, where the Ottoman dynasty prospered and
lived for 600 years.
It was a statement ,at the time, of the power of the
Ottoman Empire.
It shows the hierarchical organizations at which the
Ottoman Empire functioned.
References

Topkapı Palace as a Moral and Political Institutional


Structure in the Ottoman Palace Organization , Samed
Kurban, International Journal of Humanities and
Social Science Vol. 7, No. 3.
Architecture, Ceremonial, and Power: The Topkapı
Palace in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, Gülru
Necipoglu, The MIT Press.
Zelazko, A. (2020, March 5). Topkapı Palace Museum.
Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Topkapı-Palace-
Museum
Images and Figures

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazines/pdf/022216_NGH/?
fbclid=IwAR2KCMr8mq2g1llvDxXzSFEHn30PwJCGKxsMQT9UXeW_-x_cJoN79JeyGbU
https://www.byzantium1200.com/blachernae.html
http://eng.travelogues.gr/collection.php?view=225
http://eng.travelogues.gr/collection.php?view=263
http://www.ottomaninscriptions.com/information.aspx?ref=list&bid=3006&hid=0
Architecture, Ceremonial, and Power: The Topkapı Palace in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, p: 35,
20b.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/96r14_ref9753_hy4
http://warfare.6te.net/Ottoman/Suleymanname/Suleimans_Culus_Ceremony-Suleymanname-lg.htm
The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed
by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topkap%C4%B1_Palace#/media/File:Hunername_231b-232.jpg
https://imaginoso.com/turkey/istanbul/Topkapı-palace-chamber-petitions-northwest-elevation-0
https://ustunzekalilar.org/tr/Makaleler/Icerik/106-Osmanli-Egitim-Sisteminde-Enderun-Mektebi
https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender%C3%BBn
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Topkapı-Palace-Museum/Third-courtyard#/media/1/599633/226006
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Circumcision_room_-_Topkapı_Palace_(8393771437).jpg
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Topkapı-Palace-Museum/Third-courtyard#/media/1/599633/226005

You might also like