The Topkapi Palace and its Harem; the sultan’s heaven on earth in Istanbul

The Topkapi Palace with its Harem in Istanbul was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. This palace used to be the residence of the Ottoman sultans between the 15th and 19th century. They shared the palace with their family, servants, concubines and black eunuchs who were the guards of the Harem. Topkapi is huge and contains 4 main courtyards with beautiful gardens, an enormous kitchen, mosques, a hospital, many pavilions and the Harem. The Harem is the most beautiful part and my absolute favorite! That’s why I visited the Topkapi Palace twice during my stay.

 

If you want to visit the Topkapi Palace I recommend going there early. I arrived around 8.30 am and I was one of the first to enter. As soon as you get in and enter the Second Courtyard, turn left to the Harem to avoid the great mass of tourists. The building is very easy to recognize by the Tower of Justice. Right underneath it you’ll find the Harem’s entrance.

 

 

As soon as you get in you will be overwhelmed by the beauty of all the bright colored mosaics and tiles. But there’s more! The further you’ll go, the more gorgeous the rooms become. All these golden details, the use of colors, the curls, the stained glass windows, the texts of the Koran in marble and gold,… it is all perfect. The second time I visited the Harem, I had the place to myself. No one else was there except the guards! I took so many pictures! I easily spend about 2 hours at the Harem and about an hour to visit the other parts of Topkapi.

 

 

The most impressive rooms are the Chambers of the Crown Prince and the Imperial Hall. Here you’ll find the Sultan’s Throne. But also the Privy Room of Murad III is wonderful. It even has a fountain which makes the noise of a cascade.

 

 

Outside the harem a lot of beautiful pavilions can be found, all with their own purpose like the circumcision room, the sofa pavilion, the Revan pavilion,…

 

 

When you’re visiting Istanbul, a visit to the Topkapi Palace is a must! The palace is open every day, except Tuesday, from 9am – 6.45pm. Ticket prices are cheap (only 45 TL for both the palace and the Harem).
If you would like to see more pictures of the Topkapi Palace check out my Instagram and Facebook page!! I’ll probably do a post with more detailed pictures soon! Because I have so much more to share!