Topkapi Palace

The Topkapi Palace one of the great architectural and historical treats of Istanbul, built over the remains of the ancient city where Byzas founded his new homeland. The Palace was the home of the all Ottoman sultans for four centuries until the reign of Abdulmecid I, who abandoned the palace for other palace on the Bosphorus.

The palace was built six years after of the conquest of the Roman City of Contantinopolis in 1453, when the Sultan Mehmed II (Al-Fatih) decided the construction of a palace to accommodate the Ottoman administration and royal household.

The palace was built years from 1459 and finished approximately in 20 years, since then it have been object of many extension and additions. New additions and alterations continued until the mid-nineteenth century, leaving traces of the characters and styles of Ottoman Architecture between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The palace boasts stunning gardens and pavillions contained by four enormous courtyards and surrounded by enormous high walls. After the abandon of Abdulmecid I, Topkapi Palace fell into disrepair and very damaged by the fire. After the establishment of the Republic in 1923 it was extensively renovated and transformed into a museum, and ever since has been one of Istanbul's most popular sights

Publishes at : 07-07-04 04:53

Url : http://www.asiavtour.com/Turkey_Istanbul%20_Attractions_a572_s4_c2559.html