Topkapı Palace is the Istanbul landmark built in the fifteenth century as the Ottoman sultans’ main palace.
Construction began after Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453. The palace grew through successive additions and served as the Ottoman court’s administrative and residential center for roughly four centuries. It occupies a prominent position on the historic peninsula between the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus, and the Sea of Marmara.
Topkapı is organized around a sequence of courtyards, each with different functions and access rules. The Imperial Council, palace kitchens, treasury, and private royal quarters were located in distinct areas. The harem was the family section and was not simply a synonym for the whole palace.
The court moved to Dolmabahçe Palace in the nineteenth century, but Topkapı remained important. It became a museum in 1924 and is noted for collections including imperial objects, manuscripts, and religious relics.