• The Insider
  • Planning
  • Sightseeing
  • Transportation
  • Food & Drinks
  • Going Out
  • Shopping
  • FAQ
  • Tours

Istanbul Insider

Istanbul travel guide and advice by locals.

Little Known Ways to Make the Most of Topkapi Palace – Part 1

Topkapi Palace (Topkapı Sarayı) is undoubtedly one of Istanbul’s top tourist attractions. Strategically located on Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu) in the historical part of Istanbul, it has been the heart of the Ottoman Empire and the residence of the sultans and their women of the Harem for over three centuries, until Sultan Abdülmecid in 1853 decided to move the court to the Dolmabahçe Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı).

Aerial view of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul
Aerial view of Topkapi Palace

Location

Topkapi Palace, directly translated as Cannongate Palace, is located on Seraglio Point, a promontory overlooking the Marmara Sea, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus and therefore a natural strategic location. The palace is located directly behind the Hagia Sophia, and was built on the same spot where the acropolis of the ancient Greek city of Byzantium stood. Some of its remains are still visible inside the palace.

Initial construction and layout

Mehmet the Conqueror (Fatih Sultan Mehmet) ordered the construction of the palace in 1459, shortly after his conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Mehmet the Conqueror established the basic layout of the palace. He summoned experienced artisans and used the most expensive and rare materials of that time in an attempt to restore the city’s former glory.

Rather than a single building, it consisted of a series of pavilions contained by four immense courtyards. (see ground plan in part 2). It was a stone version of the tented encampments from which the nomadic Ottomans had emerged. Contrary to other royal residences that had strict master plans, Topkapi Palace developed over the course of centuries, with various sultans adding and changing various parts.

Renovations were also carried out after the 1509 earthquake and the 1665 fire. The final version of the palace covered an area of 700.000 m² and was home to as many as 4.000 people.

Function

Topkapi Palace was the official residence of the Ottoman sultans since Mehmet the Conqueror until the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid (Sultan Abdulmajid) in 1853. For a 400-year period, the palace was the administrative, educational and cultural center of the Ottoman Empire. Initially, the palace served as the seat of government and imperial residence. It contained a school in which civil servants and soldiers were trained, dormitories, gardens, libraries and even mosques. Access was strictly regulated and inhabitants of the palace rarely had to venture out since the palace functioned as an autonomous entity, a city within the city.

In 1853 Sultan Abdülmecid abandoned Topkapi Palace in favor of Dolmahbahçe Palace (Dolmahbahçe Sarayı). From that moment on, the sultans no longer resided in Topkapi Palace. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic, upon the order of Atatürk, the palace started to serve as a museum on 3 April 1924, consisting of an area of 100.000 m², 200.000 archived documents, 86.000 antics and 20 exhibition halls.

You need at least half a day to explore the palace, but you can easily wander around in it for a whole day and get your money’s worth.

First Courtyard

Imperial Gate of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul
Imperial Gate – © Istanbul Insider

The entrance to the palace is via the Imperial Gate (Bab-ı Hümayun), erected by Sultan Fatih in 1478. This massive gate is now covered in 19th century marble and decorated with verses from the Holy Koran and with niches that were used to display the severed heads of rebels and criminals.

The gate leads to the first of a series of four courts that become more private the deeper you penetrate into the complex. The First Courtyard, also known as the Court of the Janissaries or Parade Court, functioned as an outer precinct or park.

Off to the left there is the church of Haghia Irene (Aya İrini Kilisesi), the city’s only church of the pre-Ottoman era that was never turned into a mosque. Furthermore, the First Courtyard contains the former Imperial Mint (Darphane-i Amire), the magnificent Istanbul Archaeological Museums (Arkeologi Müzeleri) and various pavilions and fountains, such as the Fountain of the Executioner, next to the ticket windows. Here the executioner washed his hands and sword after a decapitation.

Janissaries (infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans’ household troops and bodyguard) and merchants could circulate freely in the Court of the Janissaries, but the Second Courtyard was restricted. Today this is still very much the case, since you must buy a ticket to enter the palace and its other three courtyards.

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased online or directly before entering the museum. Entrance to the museum is also included in the Museum Pass and the Istanbul Tourist Pass (with guide). To enter the Harem and the Hagia Irene church you must purchase separate tickets (not available online).

There is no guide in the museum but the visitors may rent an audio guide. It is available in 14 languages including Turkish, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. You should know that taking photos in the display halls is forbidden and baby strollers are not allowed in the museum. Have this in mind while planning your trip.

Take my advice and come early! Queues can be lengthy, certainly if cruise-ships entered Istanbul’s harbor. I always go 15 minutes before opening, buy my ticket upfront, and head straightaway to the Harem ticket box. This way I’m sure I’ll be able to visit the Harem (the amount of visitors per day is restricted) and I don’t have to stand in line with the sun scorching my head.

Topkapi Palace (Topkapı Sarayı)
Bab-ı Hümayün Caddesi, Sultanahmet – Istanbul
(behind the Hagia Sophia).
Tel: +90 212 512 04 80
Opening Hours – Entrance Fees
https://millisaraylar.gov.tr/en/palaces/topkapi-palace

Filed Under: Attractions

Comments

  1. MOHD FARHAN BIN SHAARI says

    December 23, 2022 at 10:45 pm

    I took 2 airport transfers 3 days ago.

    IST – sultanamet hotel (51 euro)

    Sultanamet hotel – SAW (51 euro)

    for 7 pax and 14 luggages!

    Reply
  2. Tanja Schiener says

    December 22, 2022 at 12:02 am

    Where can I book the ticket online for Topkapi. I just found museum card .
    Thanks

    Reply
  3. Snehal Raisoni says

    December 18, 2021 at 4:24 am

    Despite the rainy cold weather, the brilliance and beauty of Topkapi Palace was fully felt. We missed the long lines arriving at the museum after the morning rush, @10:30AM. Security/tkt lines were quick and painless.
    Entering the grounds, we headed straight to the harem (as said, there is a strict number of visitors allowed), as we left, we heard the guards turning out visitors from entering.
    I enjoyed the armory, library— and many other parts; the treasury is still under construction.
    The audio guide was helpful.

    ENJOY!

    Reply
    • Erlend says

      December 18, 2021 at 8:46 pm

      Thanks for sharing this Snehal. Glad to hear you had a good time.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Best Sellers

  • Email
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Us

About
Contact
Frequently Asked Questions
Sitemap

Popular Attractions

Hagia Sophia
Topkapi Palace & Harem
Dolmabahçe Palace
Bosphorus Tour
Whirling Dervishes

Travel Tips

Accommodation & Locations
Airport Transportation
Istanbul Kart, Museum Pass, Tourist Pass
Public Transportation
Taxi’s in Istanbul

© 2011–2023 The Istanbul Insider – Terms of Service • Privacy Policy • Affiliate Disclaimer
Istanbul Insider
Data and Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site.
Click below to consent ('Accept') to the above or make granular choices
Manage Cookie SettingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.

Your choices on this site will be applied only for this site. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by going to the Privacy Policy page of this site.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
CookieDurationDescription
_gat1 minuteThis cookies is installed by Google Universal Analytics to throttle the request rate to limit the colllection of data on high traffic sites.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.
visitor_id5 yearsThis cookie include cookie name plus the unique identifier of the visitor account. The value stored is the unique ID of the visitor which is used for tracking the visitor.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.