Topkapı Palace

The last big sightseeing excursion today is at the Topkapı Palace. When Mehmet the Conqueror took Constantinople, he built this place as a grand municipal complex. It was used by civil servants, viziers (the sultan's councilors), the military, ambassadors, etc. But it wasn't used as a royal residence until Süleyman the Magnificent moved in 100 years later when he decided to live where he worked. Each sultan then added his own room or pavilion. So, the palace was built over hundreds of years, which explains its eclectic mix of styles.

Topkapı is a series of courtyards separated by walls and gates or buildings. Each courtyard becomes a bit more private.

This beautiful fountain is just outside the Topkapı Palace. It was built by Ahmet III. We'll get to him and his tulips later.

The first gate is called the Imperial Gate. By "first", I mean two things: outermost and oldest. The signature above the door belongs to Mehmet the Conqueror.

The first courtyard is huge. It used to include the barracks for the janissaries (elite military personnel, a cross between the Secret Service and the Special Forces). Now the vast area has been converted into Gülhane Park and a zoo. It also contains the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

This is the second gate. It is called the Gate of Salutation. It was built in the 1500s.

This is the Divan Tower. Beneath it is the "divan" or council chamber for the sultan's viziers.

This is the door to the divan. Inside was a long red couch (instead of individual chairs). That's why some people refer to couches as "divans".

This is the third gate, or Gate of Felicity. We're getting very close to the residential areas now.

This is the passageway to the fourth courtyard.

Take a look at these fabulous sidewalks. These are pebbles placed in concrete.

Here we are finally in the fourth and most private courtyard. Behind me is the Baghdad Pavilion. It was built by sultan Murat IV to celebrate, you guessed it, the conquering of Baghdad. The little garden below it is known as the Tulip Garden. During the reign of Ahmet III, hedonism took hold, and the tulip trade became big business. Some bulbs were 30 times more valuable than gold. Ahmet III became obsessed. He spent a good deal of his empire's fortune obtaining rare specimens. Me? I wait for them to go on sale at Menards.

There was a shallow swimming pool here (behind me). That's unusual for Muslims since they typically reject standing water in favor of running water. Turkish Baths, unlike Roman Baths, never include a swimming pool.

This was on the outside of the Circumcision Pavilion. (Yep, a whole pavilion just for circumcisions.) The fountain you see here drains into the swimming pool.

Did I mention how hodgepodge the complex is? As styles changed, and as the sultans became more self-conscious of their "oriental" backwardness, they desperately tried to emulate Europe. (Evidence above of one failed attempt: the Mecidiye Pavilion.) They eventually gave up trying at Topkapı and built a brand new palace (Dolmabahçe Palace) in the New District.

The sultans had a nice view of the Bosphorus. Behind the tanker is a tiny little island with a tower on it. It's called the Maiden's Tower. Legend has it that an oracle told the sultan's daughter that she would be bitten by a snake and killed. So, her father put her on this island where there were no snakes. One day she gets a basket of fruit. A snake had stowed away in the basket. It bites the girl and she dies.

They also call it Leander's Tower after the ancient Greek story about Hero and Leander. Hero was a young woman who lived in a tower on an island near the mainland. Her lover, Leander, would swim across the sea each night to be with her. Hero would light a lamp to guide his way. One night, there was a storm, and the lamp blew out. Leander lost his way and drowned. Devastated by her lover's death, she threw herself to her death from atop the tower.

Both heartwarming stories, hey?

We got to Topkapı pretty late, and thus didn't have time to do the "Harem" tour. They shooed us out at closing time. We then spent a leisurely evening at Gülhane Park.

TRAVELERS' TIP: If it's getting late, walk straight through the first courtyard to the ticket booth and save viewing the first courtyard until after Topkapı Palace closes. The first courtyard stays open longer. In fact, you don't even have to pay to see it, so you could come back another day to finish up.

We decided to eat dinner at the restaurant adjacent to the hotel called "Red River". It's funny how the rest of the world has taken such a sentimental view of the American West. Thanks, Hollywood. There were posters from old western movies all over the walls. They had written their own sign and posted it in the bar area. It said "Please Live Your Six Shooters With The Bartender." You see, the "i" with a dot makes an "ee" sound in Turkish. Funny, huh? The Turkish Ravioli they served was excellent. Very un-American. Little meat dumplings covered in a sour cream sauce with paprika and other spices: Yummy!