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TOPKAPI PALACE

Initial construction began in 1459, ordered by Mehmet II, the Conqueror and it was official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years of their 624-year reign, from 1465 to 1856.

The palace is a complex made up of four main courtyards and many smaller pavilions. At the height of its existence as a royal residence, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people, formerly covering a larger area with a long shoreline.

Topkapi Palace gradually lost its importance by the end of the 17th century, as the Sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosporus. In 1856, Sultan Abdül Mecid I decided to move the court to the newly built Dolmabahce Palace, the first European-style palace in the city. Some functions, such as the imperial treasury, the library, mosque and mint, were retained though.

After the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1921, Topkapı Palace was converted into a museum by government decree on April 3, 1924. The Topkapı Palace Museum is under the administration of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The palace complex has hundreds of rooms and chambers, but only the most important are accessible to the public today. The palace is full of examples of Ottoman architecture and also contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasure and jewelry.

BOOK NOW for tour to TOPKAPI PALACE

Practical Information
* It is located behind the Hagia Sophia, just couple of minutes from Sultanahmet tram stop.
*Open everyday except Tuesdays. April to October 09.00 am. to 06.00 pm, November to April 09.00am. to 05.00 pm.
* Entrance fee is 20 Turkish liras.
*The entrance to the Harem section is from the second courtyard of the palace and the fee is 15 Turkish liras.

 
 
ok BASILICA CISTERN ok DOLMABAHCE PALACE ok SPICE BAZAAR
ok BLUE MOSQUE ok EMINONU SQUARE ok SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE
ok BOSPHORUS ok GALATA TOWER ok PRINCES ISLAND
ok CAMLICA HILL ok GRAND BAAZAR ok TOPKAPI PALACE
ok CHORA MUSEUM ok HAGIA SOPHIA ok WOODEN SUMMER HOUSES
ok ANADOLU KAVAGI ok BEYLERBEYI PALACE ok LITTLE HAGIA SOPHIA
ok PAMMAKARISTOS CHURCH ok POYRAZKOY ok RUMELI FORTRESS
ok HIPODROME ok GOLDEN HORN and PIERRE LOTI HILL ok ORTAKOY
ok MAIDEN TOWER ok TAKSIM SQUARE & ISTIKLAL STREET  
 
 
 
TOPKAPI PALACE
TOPKAPI PALACE
TOPKAPI PALACE
 
daily istanbul tours
Historical Treasuries
Hippodrome
Blue Mosque
Hagia Sophia
Grand Bazaar
Topkapı Palace
Little Hagia Sophia Mosque
 
Highlights of Istanbul
Highlights of Istanbul
Cruise tour with private boat in Golden Horn and Bosporus
Drive along the Golden Horn to Pierre Loti Hill
Short cable car experience
Dolmabahçe Palace
Drive over the Bosporus Bridge
Step to the Asian part, the highest point in the city with full view of Istanbul
 
Cruise in Bosporus
Cruise in Bosphorus
Cruise in Bosphorus, passing under two Bosporus Bridges
See both sides of the city (Asia and Europe) from the sea
Come alongside of the Asian side of the city
Have a small break in a nice suburb of Asian side called Kanlica
 
Bosporus and Black Sea Cruise
Cruise in the Bosphorus and the Black Sea coast
Drive from the old city to the pier of Kabatas to start the cruise
Stop in Ortakoy to visit the district and feel its cosmopolitan ambience
Cross to the Asian side of the city to visit the summer palace called "Beylerbeyi"
The fortress of Europe
Anadolu Kavagi
 
Prince’s Islands Tour
Princes' Islands Tour
Sail from the city to the Sea of Marmara
Visit to Kinali and Heybeli Islands
Have a stop in Buyukada (Great Island)
Have lunch on the boat and swimming break in the secret bay of the island
 
 
 
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