THE SULTANS OF SWING....Topkapi Palace

This morning we walked to the Topkapi Palace, a short 10 minute stroll (if you knew where you were going, it took us 20 minutes). The Palace was built between1459-1465 by Mehmet II after his conquest of Constantinople. The entrance made me feel like I was entering Disneyland, and once inside it really was like a fantasyland. those Sultans knew how to build a place and spared no expense. The Palace consists of the Harem, where the Sultan and his family lived, along with his 1,000 concubines, as well as many other buildings, built around 4 courtyards, looking out over the Bosphorus Strait. The tile and marble, the gold in the ceilings and walls, are amazing. In some areas, the marble floor was so smooth, and it makes you wonder about what kind of people walked that floor, and what kind of lives they lived there.
The Treasury held gold, silver, 6 carat diamonds, huge rubies, and headpieces that looked just like what you would picture that Cleopatra wore.....with huge emeralds, rubies,dripping with diamonds and gold chains. There were swords and other weapons, hand mirrors, jugs and boxes, all encrusted with jewels, simply magnificent. Unfortunately, no photos allowed in this building.
The Harem, which means "a place forbidden, was the largest building. It contains 300 rooms, 9 Turkish baths, 2 mosques and a hospital.
The second and third picture are of the Sultans bedroom, showing one of the two matching beds, and the fountain in the room, giving you an idea of how grand the room is.
The 6th picture is the courtyard of the Favorites.....no explanation required. The 2nd and 3rd from the end show the Queen Mothers Chambers....she was very important and made decisions regarding the Sultan and his wives and children. The last picture reveals the secret of how the Sultan had the energy to deal with all the women in his life.....and we thought energy drinks were something new!
The Palace really gives you a good idea of what life was like in this city 600 years ago....for the rich and famous as well as the servants and slaves.
It was a great way to spend our first day in Istanbul.