Topkapi Palace

We set off early, once again, to visit the last famous site in Istanbul: Topkapi Palace. Mehmet II built the palace as his main residence in the 1460s. It's quite interesting because instead of just one building, it was a series of pavilions surrounded by four huge courtyards. In order to get there, we had to hike up an enormous, steep cobbled road. It looked very typically Turkish and we were greeted by the Imperial Gate and the Fountain of Ahmet III. Everything was so ornately decorated and perfectly kept.

The Imperial Gate

We walked under the archway towards the Topkapi Palace and absorbed the beautiful scenery. Everything was so green and serene. There was even a view of the Bosphorus and other side of the Golden Horn. It was so peaceful, even though there were huge crowds.

Actually, there were no more tourists than usual, it's just that there were so many school groups visiting! I literally cannot express how many children and teens there were. But as we passed one line of them to walk into the first courtyard, they all waved at us and said "Hello! Hello! Please stop! I love you! Pretty lady, please stop! Hello! Hello!" It felt like we were famous and walking down a runway. It was cute but I can imagine it becoming annoying if the walk was more than our 50 steps. Inside the palace, there were even more school groups, but we tried to avoid them and entered the Harem of the palace. Inside the Harem, we were supposed to be quiet and only speak in hushed tones, out of respect. However, Khala and I were stuck behind a three person French tour and the guide either couldn't read the sign or was a little bit hard of hearing, because she was yelling everything about the Harem in French to the group. Khala and I sprinted by them in the first room and moved on to the second. It wasn't worth listening to her loud voice. But anyway, the Harem was like a labyrinth of exquisitely decorated and detailed rooms where the sultan's wives and concubines lived. Technically, the sultan didn't have "wives" but he had favourites and lots of women. It was gorgeous inside. The walls were all tiled with the pretty, famous blue color and the domes and chandeliers were spectacular.

Concubines in a room (obviously they are just figures)

Dome of one of the rooms

Closeup of the beautiful, handmade tiles

Inside the Circumcision Room (which was actually not in the Harem but a pavilion outside of it)

After wandering through the Harem, we went into the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle. This was incredible, especially for me. Some of the holiest relics of Islam were on display inside five rooms. So this place was a place of pilgrimage for Muslims. I haven't been to Mecca yet, but at least I have made the pilgrimage to the Holy Mantle. I saw locks of hair from the beards of prophets, their swords, gold-plated drains from the Holy Kaaba, keys and locks to the Holy Kaaba (the most important mosque to Muslims, located in Mecca), and even an impression of Prophet Muhammad's footprint. Holy men continuously chant passages from the Quran, so we were walking through and it felt incredibly holy. It was also packed in the Pavilion...people were everywhere, so it was hard to get a good long look at the relics, unfortunately. But I did manage to glimpse the holiest of all relics: Prophet Muhammad's mantle. Visitors were not allowed to enter the room where it was kept, so we just looked at it from an antechamber through an open doorway. No pictures were allowed in the Pavilion.

We walked through the throne room and library, each one beautifully adorned with the famous Iznik tiles, and visited the Treasury, where there was an enormous collection of precious, glittering jewels and pieces. Almost all the pieces were jewels for men, though. Not many women's jewels. For example, there was a suit of diamond-encrusted chain mail for Mustafa III. The most famous piece is the Topkapi dagger although there is a case containing bones from what is said to be the hand of John the Baptist. Khala and I were extremely tired of crowds and children, so we quickly walked through the exhibit, avoiding the hundreds of people crowding in front of the displays.

The Topkapi Dagger

At this point, we were getting hungry and the crowds were surging in numbers. We even saw a woman from our flight from London in the courtyard! That was quite funny. We quickly entered a gift shop to see what rubbish they were trying to sell. There was a boy, or young man I suppose, probably 20, working in the shop. He stared at me the entire time. Had I not been in Istanbul for three days already, I might have found this quite strange. However, I have noticed that everybody stares at me: shopkeepers, stall owners, ferry drivers, etc. And it probably isn't just me they stare at. I think they are looking at me to try and figure out where I am from. And I know it confuses them when I start speaking with an American accent! That was just a little observation I have come up with. They aren't being rude, just curious. But anyway, after the gift shop. Khala and I passed under The Gate of Felicity to the exit...where there were lines miles long of children waiting to exit through the incredibly small and narrow door. That was a bad architectural design in my opinion. As we waited in the sun, three little boys, probably about 10 or 11, came up to us and one said, "Hello! I am Turkish! You..." When I said I was American, they jabbered away in Turkish to each other and were thoroughly pleased, laughing and talking loudly. They went around talking to other visitors as well. They were so friendly!

View of the Gate of Felicity

After our lunch break, Khala and I, despite being quite tired from walking all week and touring the Palace all morning, set off to try our bartering skills at the Grand Bazaar...