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The sultan and his harem

The Topkapi Palace dominates the tip of the cape where Istanbul’s old city is located. For almost 400 years, this was the symbolic and political centre of the Ottoman Empire. Once home to the sultan and his harem, the palace is now a beautiful museum. The palace, which encompasses several buildings, charming courtyards and splendid gardens, is now open to the public.

Arts & Culture

The sultan’s bedroom in the harem

The sultan’s women

A visit to the palace’s harem with more than 400 rooms that housed the Sultan’s women, the female slaves and children is very worthwhile. There is an additional fee to visit this part of the palace, so it is usually pretty quiet here. The lovely rooms with high ceilings and elegantly decorated walls with colourful tiles give the impression that the women lived in comfortable quarters. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case for most other residents. Many women in the harem, who had been taken from Georgia or the Caucasus, or who had been captured on European crusades, lived in dangerous and unhygienic conditions. The women who were invited into the sultan’s bed received special privileges. If they gave birth to his child, they moved even further up the rank and may have been entitled to their own apartment. The sultan’s bedroom with an enormous golden canopy bed is one of the most beautiful rooms in the harem.

A treasure trove of riches

During their 470-year reign, the sultans amassed an enormous collection of riches. The collection of Chinese porcelain in the palace’s kitchen is unparalleled by any other collection in the world outside of China. Celadon, the earliest Chinese porcelain, is jade-coloured. The Ottomans were very fond of it because they believed that it neutralised any poison in their food. The sultans’ gowns are still very well preserved because after the death of a sultan, the garments were carefully stored in sealed bags. Admire the beautiful caftan of Mehmet II, on display in the Hall of the Campaign Pages, which used to house the palace’s wardrobes.

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Romance

Nightlife

Arts & Culture

Shopping

Romance

Istanbul, one of the most romantic cities in the world. This was the place where John F. Kennedy Jr. took his bride Carolyn Bessette on their honeymoon in 1996. The city is situated on the borders of Europe and Asia. And with the architecture, the promenades along the water, the exotic mosaic of flavours, aromas and sounds it is easy to imagine yourself as a character in a tale from One Thousand and One Nights.

Nightlife

Right behind the famous Taksim Square, in the district of Beyoğlu, lies the neighbourhood of Cihangir. This attractive neighbourhood is known for its characteristic narrow streets, parks and squares. Cihangir is a favourite gathering place for local artists, writers and intellectuals. They flock to the many cafés and outdoor patios to discuss their latest projects or talk about life.

Nightlife

In the West, belly dancing is often seen as an erotic performance done by concubines to entice and seduce their sultan. But belly dancing is actually a joyous, graceful and energetic folk dance, performed by women during festivities such as weddings, births and holidays. In Istanbul there are several places where you can still attend one of these traditional belly dancing performances.

Arts & Culture

Time appears to have stood still in the popular districts of Fener and Balat. Small cobblestone streets lined with wooden houses lead visitors past churches, mosques and sacred gravestones. You will even come across a section of a 5th-century Byzantine city wall. It is hardly a surprise that UNESCO has declared Fener and Balat, on the historic peninsula of Istanbul, a World Heritage Monument.

Shopping

Colourful oil lamps, fragrant spices and hand-made hamam cloths: spread out over 60 streets and almost 5,000 shops of the Grand Bazaar, the largest covered market in the world offers an enormous selection of goods. Nowhere else in Turkey will you see such a wonderful reflection of the typical melting pot of Turkish cultures, the entrepreneurial spirit of the Turks and the beautiful merchandise that has been sold for centuries.

Arts & Culture

The Hagia Sophia, which means ‘Church of Holy Wisdom’, proudly stands on a hill in Istanbul’s old city centre. Originally, the impressive building served as a church, later it became a mosque and since 1935 it has been a museum. But the Hagia Sophia is best known as a spectacular architectural landmark. In 532, a group of architects were commissioned to build a church that would be unlike any other church - and they certainly succeeded.