Topkapı Palace

Topkapı Palace was the home of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465-1856 and is one of Istanbul's finest attractions. We read that the place can be busy so we arrived for our visit just as it was opening and we were the first visitors to the Harem for the day.

 

The Harem is a part of the private apartments of the Sultan. His mother, wives, concubines, children, and servents also live within the 400+ rooms of the Harem. Although only about 100 or so rooms are open to the public, you can see from the pictures above it would be an exquisite place to call home.

The Palace grounds included a beautifully decorated library and during our visit Rob made good use of the space. The grounds also offered fantastic views of the Bosphorus and the Asian side of the city!