Saturday was devoted to Topkapi Palace, the Ottoman Empire's equivalent to Versailles (with the slight addition of the harem. And yes, I had my picture taken in it.) Life wasn't bad as Sultan. It took a little over four hours just to see the high lights -- the harem, the treasure rooms, which included the Topkapi dagger and emeralds and rubies the size of tic-tac boxes, various living spaces and, of course, the circumcision room. It felt a little like an Ottoman Disney Land.
The beautiful Topkai grounds
Tile-work in the harem
More classic Ottoman ceramic tile
I think this corridor flanked the eunuchs' court yard...
Life as Sultan was obviously very hard... notice the "Western" design elements though.
A more complete photo set is (will be) available at my flickr account. The palace was interesting for many reasons (harem! eunuchs! daggers!) but its mix of Ottoman and traditionally European styles emphasized the former size and prestige of the Empire. Topkapi is stunning and emphasized for me again how powerful the Ottomans really were.
My adventures at Topkapi concluded with a parade -- as I left the palace grounds I was greeted by none other than a column of uniformed Jannasaries playing traditional Turkish military music.
Have I mentioned how much I love this city?
1 comment:
everything looks so beautiful! sounds like you're having fun. :) miss you so much, love!
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