Istanbul: the Palaces

The huge Topkapi Palace, built between 1465 and 1478, covers an area of about 73 acres. At its heyday it had a population of about 4,000 people. The Palace was the imperial residence of the sultan and also the seat of government of the Ottoman Empire. Many of its rooms today are used to display articles from the Ottoman period including many precious jewels. One of these, a jeweled dagger, was the focus of the movie ""Topkapi"".

Topkapi Palace is built on the Bosphorus, the strait which separates Europe from Asia. Istanbul is unique in that is actually located on two continents. The Black Sea is on the north and the Marmara Sea on the south.

In the 19th Century Dolmabahce Palace was built further north on the Bosphorus. It was unique in that it reflected both Oriental and Western styles of architecture. The Palace and grounds covers an area of about 62 acres. It contains 285 rooms and 46 halls. Used by the Ottoman government, it also was used by Ataturk after he brought the country into the 20th Century.

Even though it was built during a time when the economy of the Ottoman Empire was not good, it didn't slow the builders from using the most expensive materials such as this huge chandelier in one of the halls.

Maintained by
Updated April 11, 2001