Istanbul, 2nd site: The Sultan’s Palaces

Topkapi's Gate

If you just visit Istanbul and someone asks you if you would like to visit the Sultans’ Palace, the first thing you need to decide is, which one. I guess it should not come as a great surprise that the absolute rulers of a large and wealthy empire would have multiple residences at their disposal. Heck, even the Belgian king has more than one.
And so, yes, in Istanbul you have your choice of palaces - each one perhaps more extraordinary than the next. We visited two of the three I know of (there could be others, who knows) and even at that we have heard we skipped the best (Yildiz). 

The Harem in Topkapi

The ones we visited; Dolmabahçe and Topkapi.

In describing them, it is difficult to know where to begin. Both complexes are absolutely massive. For the Sultans, the palace was not just a place for the family to live. Well, not the family the way we think of a family, in any case.

The Sultans entourage was bigger than most royal families. It included, of course, the famous Harem, which turns out to be not as wild as your fantasies might imagine - but still represents a sizable enterprise, nonetheless.

The Harem did house the women who would be in the Sultan’s life, but it was nothing like an exclusive brothel. More like a girls school. Before a woman was ever introduced to the Sultan she needed years of formation. The Harem organized and delivered that. It needed a huge staff to accomplish this and that meant the palace needed to provide  that infrastructure.

The palace also had to provide for the government. The Sultan and his advisers needed a place to work and of course, it needed to provide suitable security. The Topkapi Palace is essentially a walled city, with everything you can imagine needing behind those walls and delivered in the style suitable for a sultan.

Dolmabahçe, my one picture

And then, if anything Dolmabahçe outdoes it. Topkapi maybe more impressive because of its age and the craftsmanship of its period (the 15th C) but Dolmabahçe is bigger and by far more opulent, reflecting the tastes and desires of more modern monarchs. Built in the mid 19th century, it reflects the fashions of the era (no pictures allowed, I only got one before we got caught). It may be the largest and most opulent palace we visited on this trip, and we visited a bunch! It has an exterior that rivals its interior. Set on the shores of the Bosporus, it is truly stunning. It makes you wonder why someone would abandon it and build a new one (Yildiz Palace).

The View from Dolmabahçe

As it turns out, Abdul Hamed II was convinced that the lovely Bosporous setting was a liability. He was convinced it was vulnerable to attack and wanted someplace safer. Paranoid? Well, as they used to say in the 70s “it ain't paranoia if they really are out to get you!” Abdul Hamed II was the last Sultan. Dolmabahçe was taken by Atatürk and his revolution. It became the new government’s Istanbul headquarters and was the place where Atatürk spent his dying days.