Topkapı Sarayı — The Harem

Sunday — April 25: Part II

As noted in the previous post, the Topkapı museum complex is massive. (Wikipedia quotes a number ranging from 592,600 to 700,000 square meters, depending on which parts are counted.  That’s between 6.3 and 7.5 million square feet).  So, for this short visit, I asked that we focus on the Harem.

(The map to the left is from a website dedicated to Topkapı.  You can click the map for a larger version, but my primary purpose for posting it here is to show a comparison of the total palace grounds to the space occupied by the 400-room Harem, which is shown in green.)

Access to the Harem costs an additional 15TL (approx. $10); the MüzeKart is not valid.  Visitors can wander on their own, with or without an audio guide, or join a tour conducted by a guide.  As we had a full day ahead, we opted to simply explore on our own.  Though we started off together, I was soon lagging far behind A&M and mom, capturing snapshots of whatever caught my eye.

Harem … the word comes from the Arabic: “haram,” which means forbidden, and “harīm,” which refers to both a sacred inviolable place and to the female members of the family.  When we hear the word, we think of a place that men were not allowed to enter.  That’s true certainly; but in the wider sense of the word, the harem was where the sultan lived with his extended family, to include his mother, wives, concubines, and children.  They were attended to by servants and eunuchs.  The Harem wing was added in the 16th century, with many of the rooms and features designed by master architect Mimar Sinan.

Adalet Kulesi (Tower of Justice) is between the Imperial Council and the Harem. 
The tower represents the sultan’s eternal vigilance against injustice.

Left: The Cümle Kapısı (Main Entrance) separates the family quarters from the
Courtyard of the Eunuchs. 
Right: I have fun with the 18th Century mirrors in the room that served as the sentry post.

The Cariye Koridoru (Passage of the Concubines) leads into the Courtyard of the Sultan's
Consorts and Concubines.  Eunuchs placed the food they brought from the palace kitchens
on the counters on the left for servants to pick-up and serve.

Left: Kadın Efendiler/Cariye Taşlığı (Courtyard of the Sultan’s Consorts and Concubines).
Right: Late 18th Century fresco at the entrance to the apartments of the Sultan’s Mother.

Mannequins depict the Valide Sultan (Sultan’s Mother) and her attendants going about daily life.

Detail from the apartments of the Valide Sultan.

Ceiling detail from the apartments of the Valide Sultan.
(note the partial restoration of the center medallion)

Left: This hallway leads to the double hamam (bath) of the Sultan and his mother, and
connects to his apartments beyond.
Right: One of the marble fountains in the hamam.

The gilded lattice work was designed to protect the Sultan and Valide Sultan
against assassination attempts.

      The Sultan’s throne in the Hünkâr Sofası (Imperial Hall).
This room was the official reception hall where the Sultan received his confidants,
as well as his mother, his first wife, consorts, and children.

The Hünkâr Sofası was also the entertainment room for members of the Harem.
(the mirror next to the throne hides a secret door that allowed the Sultan safe passage)

Detail from the Hünkâr Sofası.

Detail from the gallery in the Hünkâr Sofası.

The Sultan Murat III Has Odası (Privy Chamber) is the oldest surviving room in the Harem.

This fountain in the Sultan Murat III Privy Chamber was designed to foil attempts at eavesdropping.

The Yemiş Odası (Fruit Room) was the Privy Chamber of Sultan Ahmet III.
(this scanned image is from May 1987; photography is no longer allowed)

The Çifte Kasırlar (Twin Kiosks) was the apartments of the Crown Prince.

Window detail from the Twin Kiosks.
(note the small fountain in the photograph on the left)

The Twin Kiosks from the Chamberlain’s Courtyard.

      The apartments of the Gözdeler (Favorites) overlooks the Chamberlain’s Courtyard.
These women were considered a means for perpetuating the Ottoman Dynasty.
When one became pregnant, she assumed the title and powers of a consort (Kadın Efendi).

Altınyol (Golden Road) is a narrow passage that separates the Harem from the rest of the palace. 
The Sultan used it as a shortcut to the Harem.  The name comes from the Sultan’s practice
of throwing gold coins to members of the Harem who would line the passage on special days.

As I walked out of the Harem, I overheard a guide explaining to a group that the furnishings and decorations in this section of the palace were “simpler” because this is where the Sultan and his family lived their private lives. What I saw doesn't fit my definition of simple ... but so be it.

Next Up: Sultanahmet Camii