Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi)

Description:

• Residence of the sultans, administrative seat of the Ottoman Empire for almost 400 years, and the source of legend on life in the harem, Topkapi Palace should be up at the top of the list for anyone interested in the vast and exotic world behind the seraglio walls. It's impossible to rush through the palace, so you should allot at least a half-day and be prepared to encounter a few bottlenecks throughout the enclosed exhibition halls, especially in the Holy Relics Room where the ardent faithful, in their religious fervor, tend to obstruct the display cases. Built by Mehmet the Conqueror over the ruins of Constantine's Imperial Palace, Topkapi Palace occupies one of the seven hills of the city at the tip of the historic peninsula overlooking the sea. Since it is easily the most valuable real estate in the city, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to see why this spot was preferable to the original palace situated on an inland tract where the university stands today. Mehmet II began construction of the palace 9 years after his conquest of the city, where the sultans reigned continually until 1855, when Abdülmecid moved the imperial residence up the Bosphorus to Dolmabahçe Palace.

  Topkapi Palace Lunch Break -- After touring the Treasury, you've reached the halfway point and a good place to stop for lunch or drinks. The expansive Konyali restaurant (tel. 0212/513-9696) includes indoor and outdoor dining rooms, as well as an outdoor cafeteria-style snack bar.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010