Topkapi Palace | Taking Our Time

Beinghere

We visit Topkapi Palace, entering the Gate of Salutation. The Topkapi Palace was primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for about 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624 year reign.

I looking for an image that will touch you in the place that connects you to the unseen world. Most objects in this tourist attraction are mundane (porcelain, clothing, historical artifacts, kitchenware) but the “holy relics” are spiritually powerful. I learn that photography is prohibited.

Security is tight. There was a robbery in 1999 and a terrorist attack in 2011. Guards keep watch in every room, prohibiting photographs. They are extremely vigilant, putting their hands in front of people’s cameras and shouting loudly whenever a tourist attempts to take a photograph.

Karen is extremely clever and takes various photos when the guards are not watching but I decide to merely observe. The photos I include have been downloaded off the internet…

View original post 803 more words

12/3 – today dawned sunny and warm (63!), so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather by visiting the Topkapi Palace Museum and gardens, home of rich sultans and their harems since 1459.

The entrance fee was steep, and after we paid the price, we were informed that no picture-taking was permitted in any of the display rooms. Drat! How’s a person to blog with no pix? I wasn’t the only one disappointed, and we tourists kept the guards hopping in each room as they ran to stick their hands in front of our lenses, yelling, “No photo, Madame!” Some rooms showed old china and silverware, and I snapped a few shots just because…

The item on the right is a sherbet dispenser, which I thought was kind of neat…

Other rooms held jewel-encrusted clothing, artifacts and weaponry:

The bottom pic is borrowed from the Internet.

The final rooms held religious relics, and I didn’t dare try to get a picture there, but what an inventory! Not only did they display many relics of The Prophet, including his beard, a tooth, his footprint, his sword and bow, but they also had:

The Saucepan of Abraham

The Staff of Moses

The Sword of David

The Turban of Joseph

The Hand of John

…and I thought Catholics cornered the market on relics!

Photography was permitted in the outer buildings, including the Circumcision Room.