AZİ Z O Ğ A N
D i r e c t o r of t h e M u s e u m of A n t i q u i t i e s
A
GENERAL SURVEY OF THE BUILDINGS
INCLUDED IN
THE PALACE OF TOPKAPU
Aperçu sommaire
sur les édifices du Palais de Topkapu
P u b l i s h e d b y t h e
“ G r o u p of t h e F r i e n d s of I s t a n b u l “
Touring & Automobile Club of Turkey
B elle ten inin M ayıs
1949
ta rih ve
88
sayılı
n ü shasında n ç ık a rıla ra k ayrıca b a s ılm ış tır.
This a rtic le fir s t appeared
the May 1949 (No. 88) issue of the monthly Bulletin of
“The Touring and Automobile Club of Turkey,,
A General Survey of the Buildings included
in the Palace of Topkapu.
Palace of Topkapu — Plane view of the second yard (Sketch of 1830) Palais de Topkapou — Vue à vol d’oiseau de la deuxième Cour (Gravure de 1830)
The Palace o f T opkapu occupies a sits o f un riv a lle d be a u ty, on the Prom ontory since ca lle d Saray Point, a tria n g le fo rm e d b y the Sea o f M a rm a ra and the G o ld e n H orn, at the meeting place o f the co n tinents o f Europe and Asia.
Before e xam ining the to p o g ra p h ic a l situation o f the Palace o f Topkapu, it w ill be w e ll to make a b rie f survey o f the historical events w hich occured in th a t site. T raditions te ll us th a t Byzantium has been in h a b ite d fo r a very long tim e, a n d its fo u n d a tio n is a ttrib u te d to the M eg a ria n s. A cco rd in g to the legend, M egarians consulted the oracle o f D elphi in o rd e r to decide w here it w o u ld be su itable to fo u n d a new c o lo n y. The ora cle answ ered: “ O p p o site the city o f the b lin d ” . The M egarians w ere puzzled b y th a t ans w er. Some time a fte r, a b o u t 658 B. C., they set out fo r a long journey under the leadership o f Byzas. A t last they came to a spot which they fo u n d w o n d e r fu lly b e a u tifu l. They th o u g h t th a t the in h a b ita n ts o f C halcedonia, opposite, must have been b lin d to ignore the fa s c in a tin g charm o f the Bosphorus a tid the G o l den H orn, and the w id e blue stretch o f tp e M arm a ra , w ith a vie w o f the sn o w -cla d range o f O lym pus, and settle in C halcedonia. Then th e y u n d e rs to o d the p u r p o rt o f the oracle, and decided to s,eftl? in th a t place,
and they gave it the name o f Byzantium , a fte r th e ir leader.
Thanks to the a d va n ta g e s o ffe re d by the m ild clim ate and fa v o u ra b le g e o g ra p h ic a l p o sitio n , the co lo n y g re w and prospered. The latest settlers b ro u g h t w ith them the cult o f H era. The city was surrounded by a w a ll. (1 ) Byzantium became a prosperous and im p o rta n t com m ercial centre. The
(1) The wall enclosed an area which may be con sidered large for the population of that time. According to ancient chronicles, the wall of Septimus Severus be gan at the place called Neorion (between the places called at present Eminönü and Bahqekapu) passed by Sultan Ahmed and Nuri-Osmaniye, and ended at Ahir-Kapu. Constantine’s wall began at Cibali, extended westward, passed by the Church of the Holy Saviour Pantepopte (Eski İmaret Camii), and the Church of the Holy Apostles (the site of which is now occupied by Fatih Mosque), crossed the Eycus stream (Yeni-bahçe), passed by the site of İsa-Kapu mescidi, and reached the landing- place of Davud-Paşa,, near Samatya. When the city grew larger, a new wall was built which still exists to-day. It begins at Ayvan-Saray, passes by Eğri-kapu, Edirne Kapu, and Top-Kapu, and ends at the Marble Tower in the Castle of the Seven Towers. We must add that hardly any traces remain of the earlier walls.
b e a u tifu l city, e n dow ed w ith a ll the bounties o f n a ture, was the scene o f endless a m bition and strife. First it w as conquered b y the Persians. N e x t it was seized b y the Spartan Pausanias in 7 4 9 B. C. 134 years la te r, in 345, it was under d a n g e r o f being captured by King Philip o f M acedon. The heroic resistance o f the citizens fo rce d Philip to raise the
derived from the Greek f-i? tf |v Ilo X iv . Later it was re fe rre d to as A sitane, Islam bol, D e r-'A liy e (th e Sublime G a te ), D e r-i-S a ’a d e t (th e G ate o f F e lic ity ), D a r-a l K h ila fe t-a l-’A iiy e (c a p ita l o f the Sublime Ca- lifa te ) . The discussion o f those names lies outside the scope o f this a rticle . W e w ill o n ly note th a t, a lth o u g h Istanbul was still ca lle d C o n sta n tin o p le b y fo reigners,
Palace of Topkapou — Impérial Gâte of the Boundaries Palais de Topkapou — Porte Impériale de l’enceinte siege and re tre a t. The Byzantians ce lebrated this
success by o ffe rin g s to the gods, and as th e ir vic to ry occured in m o o n lig h t, th e y erected a statue o f Hecate, goddess o f the moon and o f hun tin g , a n d th e ir coins bore the fig u re o f the crescent, an emblem o f the goddess.
A fte r m any vicissitudes, Byzantium fe ll under Roman dom inion but enjoyed a utonom y until the Emperor Vespasian (6 9 -7 9 A .D .) put an end to her privileges and independence. In 195, Septimus Severus destroyed the to w n , w hich was reduced to the state o f a small v illa g e . This caused much concern to his son C a ra c a lla , w ho persuaded his fa th e r to restore the city, and b u ild a fortress, baths and palaces. The to w n changed its name several times. O nce it was given th e name o f the Emperor A ntonius (1 3 8 -1 6 1 A .D .). W hen C onstantine tra n s fe rre d his c a p ita l there
(3 3 0 A .D .), it was given th e name o f C on sta n tin o p le , w hich rem ained even a fte r th e Turkish conquest, and coins struck there bore th e name o f “ Q o s ta n ta n iy e ” , a lth o u g h it w as otherw ise re fe rre d to as Istanbul,
th e name was d e fin itiv e ly a b a n d o n e d a fte r the T urk ish Republic w as p roclaim ed.
N o trace is le ft o f the buildings in Byzantium previous to th e Christian era.
As the S oray Point is the most advanced spot o f ista n b u l, and the firs t to be in h a b ite d , at the meeting place o f the continents o f Europe and Asia, w e have no d o u b t th a t a n y m ethodic researches and e xca va tions made there w o u ld render it possible to bring to lig h t cu ltu ra l remains ra n g in g from modern times to the prehistoric age, and any finds made w o u ld be o f the highest interest to a rch a e o lo g y. It is w ith this object th a t the Turkish H istorical Society entrusted the Museum o f A n tiq u itie s o f Istanbul w ith researches in th a t re g io n . The excavations began on September 8th 1937, in the M id d le C ourt, which is the highest p o in t o f the A ncient A cro p o lis, now occupied b y the Palace o f T opkapu. The results o f the excavations have been published by us, so it is unnecessary to
Panoramic view of the Old Saray, according to a sketch Vue panoramique du Vieux Sérail d’après une gravure
re p e a t them h e re ( 2 ). W e w ill o n ly note th a t re searches w ere confined to a very lim ited a rea. It is urgent to continue researches in the Saray Point, and in diverse places o f the Palace. If w e consider th a t, a lth o u g h the fo u n d a tio n s and basements o f most o f the builin g s o f the Saray Point b e lo n g in g to the fo u rth and subsequent centuries still exist, the plans we have are co n fin e d to the sketches o f tw o o r three scholars, we can conclude th a t the m ate ria l g a th e re d from a rc h a e o lo g ic a l researches w o u ld be very v a lu a b le fo r science.
The palace o f T opkapu and its annexes occupy an area tw o kilom etres in le n g th , enclosed by a w a ll surm ounted w ith battlem ents, b u ilt b y the C onqueror, and know n under th e name o f S ur-i-S u lta n i (Im p e ria l W a ll) . The w a ll begins on the seashore at O tlu k
Ka-(2) Belleten No. 16, 1942, p. 318, Topkapi Sarayi hafriyati, by Aziz Ogan.
pu (G a te o f the H ay S to re ), near A h ır Kapu (th e S table G a te ), and extends u p h ill, then dow n a g a in as fa r as Soğukçeşme (th e Fountain o f Fresh W a te r ), w here it form s a sharp curb at A la y Köşkü (th e Kiosque o f C erem onies), from w hich p o in t it descends dow n a g a in to the seashore ( 3 ) . It thus joins at tw o places the B yzantine sea w a ll, w hich bears an in scription in d ic a tin g th a t it was th o ro u g h ly re paired b y the Emperor Thecphilus in the firs t h a lf o f the ninth century. Chronicles te ll us th a t the w a ll took e ig h t years to b u ild .
The B yzantine w a ll w hich e xtended a lo n g the G olden H orn, b e g in n in g from the Saray Point, has alm ost co m p le te ly disa p p e a re d , and in 1871 the p a rt w hich began a t Dernir Kapu (th e Iron G a te ), has
(3) The wall has four main gates, known under the names of Iron Gate, Soğukçeşme, Bâbı-Hümâyun (Imperial Gate), and Otluk Kapu. The largest and most important is the Imperial Gate, and it was used for of ficial ceremonies and important occasions. The gate was surmounted by a wooden pavilion, which fell into decay and was pulled down in the middle of the nineteenth century, and replaced by a parapet still extant. On the gate is an inscription indicating that the wall was com pleted in 885 (A. D. 1478), which proves that it was built by the Conqueror. The tuğras (Imperial seals), indicate that it was restored by Mahmud II. and Abdul-Aziz.
The gates of the wall of Theophilus (the sea wall) were Balıkhane Kapusu (Fish-Market Gate), Değirmen Ocağı Kapusu (Millers’ Gate) or Mezbeleci Ocağı Kapusu (Gate of Refuse Carriers), and Yalı Köşkü Kapusu (Gate of the Pavilion on the Seashore), near the Sepetçiler Köş kü (the Pavilion of the Basket-Makers). At present only the gates of the Fish-Market and the Refuse Carriers exist.
Outer door of Sur-u-Hümayun
been cut b y the ra ilw a y . In th a t vast a rea, the O tto man Sultans began in 1467 to b u ild palaces, pavilions, baths, o ffice s, lib ra rie s, dorm itories, mosques, schools, kitchens, bakeries, fo u n ta in s, ponds, cisterns. W e can sa fe ly say th a t the Palace o f T opkapu was an e n closed city c o n ta in in g more than one hundred b u ild ings {4 ) .
It was th o ro u g h ly o rg a n ize d , and co n ta in e d p ro visions and fuel enough to last several days, in case com m unications w ith the o uter city w ere in te rru p te d . It w as q u ite a s e lf-su p p o rtin g c o lo n y. In the schools servants w ere tra in e d fo r the m u ltip le services o f the Palace, a n d o ffic ia ls fo r the highest grades in the G overnm ent service. Students w ere c a re fu lly tra in e d in science and a rt, music being given an im p o rta n t place, as w e ll as in sports such as archery, horse m anship, m usketry and fe n cin g . Teachers w ere c a re fu lly chosen. Servants o f the Palace w ere d ivid e d in to more th a n th irty co rp o ra tio n s, such as the H alberdiers — w ith Tresses, the S ergeants-at-A rm s, the G ua rd ia n s- o f-th e M aids, the Bakers, the Cooks, the C o n fe ctio n ers, th e G atekeepers, the G ardeners, th e G ra fte rs. Each c o rp o ra tio n was under the orders o f a chief, a n d the corps o f the G ardeners, o r Guards, w ere un der the orders o f a com m ander.
This b rie f e x p la n a tio n shows th a t the system o f
(4) The Imperial Wall was also an outer fortific ation. It enclosed the main building of the Palace which can be considered an inner fortress, limited by the Middle Gate, and the high walls of the Harem and kitchens on the land side, and on the sea side by walls and terraces facing the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. Therefore if, in case of an attack, the Imperial Wall was seized, the assailants entering the precincts of the Palace would find it impossible to enter the main building unless the Palace gates were opened. Even if they crossed the Middle Gate, they could not enter the Palace unless the Gate of Felicity and other gates of the Third Court were opened.
p ro p o rtio n to its
In 1707 Ahm ed III. b u ilt a w ooden palace on the seashore at the Saray Point, g u arded by cannons, from w hich it took the name o f Palace o f Topkapu (C annon G a te ), w hich a fte rw a rd s included the w h o le g ro u p o f b uildings, the firs t o f w hich dates from the
E n try to the Topkapu Palace Entrée du Palais de Topkapou First yard of the Palace of Topkapu (Sketch X V III century)
Première Cour des Palais de Topkapou (Gravure de X V IIIe S.)
o rg a n iz a tio n o f the Palace was in size.
given in A ta ’s H istory, in the reign o f M urad III. the num ber o f chefs, cooks and scullions w as more than 1110. In one ye a r 3 0 .0 0 0 chickens, fo u r hundred lambs, 2 2 .5 0 0 sheeps w ere cooked. That p a rt o f the Palace fo rm e d a city in itse lf, w ith the quarters o f the kitchen and com m issariat o ffic ia ls , o f # ie cooks, tra y - carriers, and servants, a n d th e ir dorm ito rie s, mosques and baths. M ost o f those b u ild in g s have fa lle n into ruins through long years o f n e g le c t(5 ). It is to be hoped th a t p a rt o f the quarters o f th e cooks w ill be included in the present p la n o f re sto ra tio n .
In 1574, under the reign o f Selim II, the kitchens situated in th a t same place w ere a c c id e n ta lly destroyed b y fire , to g e th e r w ith the com m issariat, w here was kept a v a lu a b le china, and the c o n fe c tio n ers' shop. A fte r th a t the present b u ild in g s w ere ere ct ed by the fam ous a rch ite ct Sinan. They inclu d e d the kitchens proper, the co n fe ctio n e rs’ shop w here various sweets and jams were p re p a re d , the tin -sh o p where th e y tin n e d the various utensils, a fo u n d ry w here they m elted the lead used to cover a n d re p a ir the roofs o f the various b u ild in g s o f the Palaces. In the m iddle, and a lo n g the w a lls o f the kitchens w ere fire -p la ce s
(5) It is owing: to neglect that many other buildings They are known to us only by chronicles, and some of them have disappeared without even ‘leaving a trace. Earthquakes and fires are also responsible for much disaster. Among those buildings which disappeared were the Department of finances, the Bakeries, the Pavilion of Law, the Quarters of the Warders of the Walnut Tree, the Boot Gate, the Kiosque on the Sea-shore, the Kiosque of the Basket-Makers, the Quarters of the Gardeners, the Boat-Houses, the Palace on the sea-shore, the Quarters of the Bakers, the Quarters of the Refuse-Carriers, the Kiosque of Sinan Pasa, the Isakiye Kiosque, the Kiosque of the Gate of the Hay-Store, the Kiosque of Fresh Water, the Kiosque of Mahmud II., and the Muradiye Kiosque.
reign o f the C onqueror, and the latest from the 19th century.
The Palace is a rich source o f study fo r a ll in te r ested in the history o f Turkish A rt and architecture. It is im possible to include in the lim ited scope o f a short a rtic le m atter sufficient to f ill many volumes, and we w ill o n ly mention b rie fly a fe w interesting points.
The Palace Kitchens
Between the M id d le G a te a n d the Second G ate, ca lle d B ab-al-S elam , the south-eastern side o f the vast court is occupied by the Palace by a p o rtico o f more than fo rty columns. It is a re m a rka b le piece o f architecture.
In those kitchens fo o d was p repared fo r fo u r to fiv e thousand p e o p le on o rd in a ry days, and as many as ten o r fifte e n thousand on fe a st days or p a y-d a ys. A ccording to existing in fo rm a tio n , and the details
Palace of Topkapu — View of one of the front sides of the Conference rooms
Palais de Topkapou — Vue d’une façade de la Salle des Audiences
Palace of Topkapu — Chamber of Couneil oí Ministers. Palais de Topkapou — Salle du Conseil des Ministres
Ceremony of a Bayram (feast) at the Palace of Topkapu Cérémonie du Bayram au Palais de Topkapou (X V III. S.)
Palace of Tcpàapu —? Fel'nity Gala Palais de Topkapou — Porte de la Félicité
Palace of Topkapu — Door of the Hirka-i Shérif Palais de Topkapou — Porte du Hirka-i-Chérif
Palace of Topkapu — Reception Hall Palais de Topkapu — Salle de Reception
o f sandstone in w hich w ere p la ce d , but not fix e d , la rg e caldrons. The smoke from the fire -p la c e s was d ra w n up b y w id e chimneys, 20 in number, b u ilt in the m iddle o f le a d -co ve re d domes.
A fte r lo n g years o f neglect the kitchens, w hich w ere as much o u t o f re p a ir as th e rest o f the Palace, w ere p a rtia lly restored b y the G overnm ent o f the Turkish Republic. Recently a g e n e ra l re sto ra tio n o f the Palace has been u n d e rta ke n , th e kitchens and d e pendencies w e re co m p le te ly re p a ire d , a n d the d ire c to r o f the Museum o f T opkapu Sarayı decided to use them as show -room s in accordance w ith the o rig i nal ch a ra cte r o f th e b u ild in g . As the rooms have tw o ranges o f w in d o w s on each side, th e y receive suf fic ie n t lig h t and sun to preserve the most de lica te objects w ith o u t fe a r o f dampness. It is how ever im p o rta n t n o t to make the slightest change and to respect th e o rig in a l aspect o f the kitchens, w h e re fo o d was p re p a re d d a ily fo r 5 0 0 0 p e ople.
The Kiosques o f B agdad and Revan.
The Kiosque o f B agdad, one o f th e most b e a u ti fu l specimens o f Turkish architecture, and one o f the most im p o rta n t and g ra ce fu l b u ild in g s o f th e Palace o f T o p ka p u , o ffe rs a sple n d id vie w o f the G olden Horn and Beyoğlu on one side, and th e Bosphorus and th e Sea o f M a rm a ra on th e o th e r. In fro n t o f the kiosque is a terrace supported b y a high arcade. Seen from b e lo w , the re g u la rly distanced consols supporting the terrace give th e b u ild in g an aspect o f im posing b e auty. The kiosque occupies an area 22 metres in bre a d th a n d as much across. It is surm ounted b y an e le g a n t dom e surrounded b y w id e o ve rh a n g in g eaves supported by 22 m a rb le columns. The space betw een the p a ra p e t o f the terrace and the kiosque is less than 2 .5 0 metres. The w a lls are one metre thick. The plan is o f o c ta g o n a l shape w ith fo u r sym m etrical recesses. The kiosque has tw o ranges o f w in d o w s. The w in dow s o f th e lo w e r ra n g e have ra ilin g s w ith g eom etric
al ornam ents, and e b o n y shutters in la id w ith ivo ry, m o th e r-o f-p e a rl, and to rto is e -s h e ll. The panels o f the doors are s im ila rly d e corated. In th e upper range the w in d o w s are stucco-fram ed, and stained glass has been m o d e ra te ly used. The fram es o f th e doors and w in d o w s are o f m arble. E xte rio rly th e lo w e r p a rt o f th e w a lls is faced w ith panels o f m arble, and the u pper p a rt w ith tiles. The m a rb le balustrades o f the te rra ce are u n d o u b te d ly am ong th e most b e a u tifu l specimens o f the sculpture o f th a t pe rio d . In the shadow o f the o ve rh a n g in g eaves and th e w id e - spanned arcade th e tiles, w ith blue design on a w h ite g ro u n d , a d d an a ttra c tiv e and im posing aspect to the e le g a n t b u ild in g . Ten years ago glass panes in w o o d en fram es w ere erected in fro n t o f th e fa c a d e in o rd e r to shelter the d e lica te orn e m e nta tio n from the rough gales o f the Bosphorus. A sim ilar fram e had been erected previously.
In th e in te rio r o f the Kiosque are niched cup boards w ith three shelves. The p a in te d a n d g ild e d decorations o f the ro o f and so ffits are unique. Bet ween tw o recesses is a lo fty fire -p la c e o f g ild e d brass. Between th e o th e r recesses are the three b e a u tifu l doors o f th e Kiosque.
Between the tw o ranges o f w in d o w s are inscribed verses fro m the Coran in w h ite letters on a dark blue g ro u n d , by a fam ous c a llig ra p h e r, M ahm ud
C®-
le b i o f Tophane.The dome measures 9 metres across and 11.78 metres in h e ig h t. Behind the w a ll w ith the fire -p la c e is a kitchen w ith a d o o r on the e x te rio r side. On the le ft o f th e kitchen is a to ile t also w ith d o o r on the e x te rio r side, and w hich seems to have been b u ilt at a la te r da te .
The o c ta g o n a l la n te rn 3 .3 0 metres h igh, th a t surmounts the dome, is perhaps the o n ly p a rt o f the
View of one corner of the Kiosk of Bagdad Palais de Topkapou — Vue d’un coin du kiosk de Bagdad
One corner of tho Kiosk of Bagdad (X V II Century) Un coin du Kiosk de Bagdad (X V IIe S.)
b u ild in g th a t is n o t p le a s a n t to the sight. It seems ra th e r uncouth, perhaps fo r th e reason th a t w e are not accustomed to see it on religious b u ild in g s.
The Kiosque was b u ilt to com m em orate the con quest o f B agdad b y M ura d IV. (1 6 2 3 - 1 6 4 0 ) . It was com pleted in one year and no pains w ere spared to make it ap p ro a ch p e rfe ctio n . U n fo rtu n a te ly the name o f th e a rch ite ct is u n kn o w n . It is to be hoped th a t researches m ade in the Palace archives w ill b rin g the nam e to lig h t.
Close to th e B agdad Kiosque is the Revan Kiosque, separated fro m it by a m arble terrace w ith a la rg e pa n d , and m onum ental ¡e t-fo u n ta in in the m id d le . The Kiosque was b u ilt by M u ra d IV. to com m em orate the conquest o f Revan in 1635. It is on a high terrace, next to the D epartm ent o f the H o ly M a n tle . In re g a rd to the p la n , d o u b le ra n g e o f w in d o w s, p a in tin g s, and tile decorations it is sim ilar to the B agdad Kiosque b u t on a sm aller scale. The so ffits o f its th re e recesses are covered w ith orn a m e nte d parchm ent a n d the dome is stuccoed, w h ile those o f the B agdad Kiosque are the reverse, but the style o f o rn a m e n ta tio n is id e n tic a l. The fire -p la c e is in the fo u rth recess, and more sim ply o rnam ented.
The e le g a n t kiosques, b u ilt to com m em orate tw o victories o f M u ra d IV., are not o n ly the fin e st o rn a m ents o f the Palace o f T opkapu, b u t also priceless specimens o f Turkish a rt and architecture.
In concluding these lines I wish to p a y hom m age to the G overnm ent o f the Turkish Republic a n d to the M in istry o f Education, fo r the care th e y have b e sto w ed on the re sto ra tio n o f th e Palace o f T opkapu.
State of the Tchinili Kiosk as of J 852, built by Sultan Mehmed II in 1460 Etat en 1852 de Tchinili Kiosk construit en 1460 par le Sultan Mehmed I I
Faience decorations of the balcony at the Tchinili Kiosk Décorations en faiences du Balcon de Tchinili Kiosk
Basımevi Çituri Bir.
P rice
F ia ti
1 L ira
Kişisel Arşivlerde Istanbul Belleği Taha Toros Arşivi
