TOPKAPI PALACE

The magnificent Topkapi Palace, a witness to the history of Istanbul, housed the Ottoman sultans who ruled the world for centuries. Today, it serves as a museum preserving the memories of that era. Following the conquest of Istanbul by Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453, the Ottoman Empire needed a center for state administration in its new capital. Construction of Topkapi Palace began in 1460, and for nearly four hundred years, from Mehmed the Conqueror to the thirty first sultan, Abdülmecid, it served as the administrative, educational, and artistic center of the empire, as well as the residence of the sultans. On April 3, 1924, the palace began serving as a museum, thus becoming the first museum of the Republic.