Ortakapi (Middle Gate) by junge1

Photography • Architecture • posted on Aug 30, 2013

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Description

The Ortakapi connects the First Court with the Second Court. Both courts are part of the Topkapi Palace. The Topkapi Palace, situated overlooking the Bosphorus and Golden Horn, was built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453 and was the residence of all the sultans for nearly four centuries. Mahmut II (1808-39) was the last sultan to occupy the palace. Topkapi Palace is the largest and oldest palace in the world to survive to our day. In 1924 it was turned into a museum at Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's (Turkey's first president) request. The Ottoman followed the Byzantine practice of secluding the monarch from the people and Topkapi Palace has four courts. The first court was open to all; the second court (connected to the first court by the Ortakapi Gate) was used for the business of running the empire. Only the sultan and the 'valide sultan' (queen mother) were allowed through the Ortakapi on horseback; the third court was for the imperial family, important personages and palace staff; and the forth was the 'family quarters'. The Ortakapi Gate was constructed by Suleyman the Magnificent in 1524, utilizing architects and workers he had brought back from his conquest of Hungary. The treasury section of the Topkapi Palace Museum is the richest collection of its kind in the world. It houses exquisite collections of crystal, silver, Chinese porcelain, costumes, emeralds, armour, weapons, gold and the 86 karat 'Spoonmakers' diamond which belonged to the Imperial Dynasties (Sources: Tour Guide, Lonely Planet, Turkey, 2001; Wikipedia). This picture was taken on 29 June 2013, Sig...