Turkiye Day 3 - Topkapi Sarayi Muzesi, Istanbul (Part I)

Assalamualaikum. Marhaba.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! Maaf andai aku ada terkasar bahasa, terguris hati & perasaan sesiapa selama aku menulis di sini. Kosongkosong eh!

Ok jom sambung cerita Turkiye aku. Previous entry (here). Kunun janji mau habiskan before August tiba tapi nampaknya tinggal harapan jak lah. Sorry Farry! Told u so, kawan awak ni memang Ratu Procrastinator.

On the third day, I woke up early despite terjaga few times the night before due to cold in the dorm room. Sejuk gila ok! Aku tidur pakai 2 lapis sweater & 3 pasang stoking. Selimut 2 lapis. Sobs betul. Kena bangun awal sebab ni last day aku di bumi Istanbul jadinya kenalah guna masa yang ada sebaik mungkin. Furthermore it's Monday & Ayasofya is close to visitor. Haruslah orang akan berpusu untuk pi Topkapi Palace. Right? Pasal tu aku kena sampai awal. Ndak mau bazir masa semata-mata stuck dalam queue jak.

Macam biasa, walkertapaki dari hostel pi Metro station di Taksim Square. Naik funicular & turun di Kabatas. Dari sana ambil tram pi Gulhane Station.

The day before, kalau boleh mau pulun masuk semua tempat. Besides Blue Mosque & Ayasofya, hati meronta-ronta mau masuk Topkapi Palace. Why, u might ask. Sebab di sinilah, aku dapat 'berada' sangat dekat dengan kekasih Allah; Nabi Muhammad SAW. Nabi junjugan kita.

6 April 2015
Gulhane, Istanbul

# Cuaca awal pagi di Gulhane, Istanbul. Alhamdulillah, bright blue skies!

# On the way to the palace, I was greeted with these. Harini, senyuman masih lebar. Bahagia gila rasa di dada.

# The route

Berkongsi entrance yang sama dengan Gulhane Park. Tapi untuk pi Topkapi Palace sila ambil jalan ke kanan; yang ada guard house.

# Sebelum sampai kaunter tiket, marilah exercise betis di pagi hari. Bukan alang-alang steep laluan pi palace ni. 

# And I thought I was early? 

Apparently, walau sampai awal aku masih dalam kategori belakang. Because ada lagi yang lebih awal. Walhal kaunter pun belum buka. Oklah juga sebab once kaunter buka, aku ndak payah tunggu lama to get my ticket. Entrance fee is TL 45 (including admission to Harem which cost TL 15 if bought separately). 

# The palace's main entrance. The Gate of Salutation brought me to the palace's Second Courtyard.

Before that, let's get to know a little bit about Topkapi Sarayi or Topkapi Palace.

"The Topkapı Palace was the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans for approximately 400 years. As well as a royal residence, the palace was a setting for state occasions & royal entertainments. It houses important holy relics of the Muslim world, including Muhammad's cloak and sword."
-wikipedia-

# Mini replica of the palace. One word; hugeeeeeee!

The palace complex consists of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. At its peak, the palace was home to approximately 4,000 people. The palace covers a large area with a long shoreline. It contained mosques, a hospital, bakeries, and a mint.

In order to distinguish it from the previous residence, Sultan Mehmed II who ordered the construction named this palace New Palace. But it was then change to Topkapi which means Cannon Gate. After the 17th Century, the Topkapı Palace gradually lost its importance as the sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosphorus. Sultan Abdül Mecid I decided to move the court to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856. Dolmabahce is the first European-style palace in the city. Yet some functions such as the imperial treasury, the library, and the mint; were retained in the Topkapı Palace.

# Decided to rent the audio guide this time. Rental is TL 20. 

After collecting the audio guide, I quickly made my tour. Sebelum tempat ni penuh with crowd, baguslah start awal. According to the map, first place yang perlu aku jejak is the palace kitchens. The building with the tall chimneys is located on the right side of the Second Courtyard; after entering the palace. 

# The elongated Palace Kitchens. Ada tiga pintu untuk masuk sini. Lower Kitchen Door, Imperial Kitchen Door & Confectionery Kitchen Door. Kerlas!

Dapur Istana ni terdiri dari 10 bangunan berkubah. This includes the kitchens, beverages kitchens, storerooms & rooms for the cooks. Sila wow mulut nganga besar sikit. Ni dapur terbesar masa zaman pemerintahan Uthmaniyyah. Meals for everyone in the palace were prepared here. Please note, they are ~4,000 people lived in the palace. So logiklah kan kalau kitchen staff jak ada 800 orang. And on religious holidays, it rises to 1,000 staffs. 

Masuk dalam ni, kamera sila simpan. Sana sini ada CCTV; not to forget the guards. Basically, dalam ni memang cerita perihal dapur lah kan. Dari tatacara makan, tatacara masak untuk sultan sebab hidangan makan sultan adalah perlu ikut protokol, tukang masak, tukang hidang, tukang itu tukang ini. Apart from the kitchen utensils, ada juga diorang pamer silver gifts & utensils collection. Dulu dapur ni siap ada masjid, dormitories & bilik mandi for the staffs but unfortunately banyak yang sudah runtuh.

# Because its in pink. Walau pun gegar! 

Padan muka lah! Perangai habis darat! Sudah banyak sign 'no camera' dalam ni tapi tetaplah gatal mau mengetik. Lucky kamera ndak kena rampas. Seriously, porcelain collections dalam building ni memang superb lawa. Finest collections in the world. Ada yang betul-betul diperbuat dari emas! Paling win, those celadons collection that change color if food or drink it carried contain poison! They are valued by the Sultan & Queen Mother. Mostly hadiah adalah from the Chinese. Bab beli jiwa untuk jaga relationship, diorang memang pemenang dari dulu. Hands down. 

Moving out from the massive kitchen area; I entered the Third Courtyard via the Gate of Felicity. Third Courtyard is where the private & residential areas of the palace are located. 

# Gate of Felicity.

Back in the days, no one could pass this gate without the authority of the Sultan. This gate is used by the Sultan only for special ceremonies. On religious festive days, Sultan will sit on his Bayram throne before the gate. And officials semua akan tunduk bagi penghormatan pada Baginda. Pengebumian Sultan dilakukan di depan gate ni juga. Seketul batu kecil before pintu masuk gate ni dijadikan penanda kawasan di mana panji-panji kepunyaan Nabi Muhammad dibentangkan & later entrusted to the Chief of Vizier or Commander who is going to a war. 

# Golden ball hanging from the middle side of the ceiling. 

Selepas Gate of Felicity adalah area Third Courtyard. Also called the Inner Palace. Sultan spent his days here outside the harem. 

# Main entrance to the Audience Chamber (Audience Hall). 

Dalam ni adalah the main throne room with a dome & dua bilik kecil yang bersebelahan. Di sinilah Sultan akan duduk on the canopied throne where he personally welcome the viziers, official & foreign ambassadors yang datang. I couldn't take any decent picture of the throne room due to the mirror glass. Reflections yang lebih. Else boleh tunjuk the gold cloth yang penuh sama batu permata. Dinding dia memang full with blue & gold mosaic. Tujuan buat super lavish? Untuk tarik perhatian yang datang berkunjung. And also untuk buat diorang tunduk kepada kekuasaan & kehadiran Sultan.

Wazir datang pi sini untuk tunjuk their individual reports to the Sultan. Depending on their performance & report, wazir akan keluar dengan membawa pelbagai hadiah dari Sultan or worst...ada yang ndak akan keluar langsung. Meaning to say, this is the place where officials came to report to the Sultan without knowing if they would leave the place alive. 

# Small fountain of Suleiman I near the entrance. 

The fountain is not only for refreshment, but could be used to prevent overhearing secret conversations in the room. It is also act as a symbol of the Sultan.

# Located right behind the Felicity Gate to hide the view towards the Third Courtyard. 

# Inscriptions of Quran outside the Conqueror's Pavilion.

I queued to enter this building. Panjang & lama jugalah kena queue. Dalam ni ada hasil rampasan harta dari Mesir di bawah pemerintahan Sultan Selim I. Then aku masuk Imperial Treasury building. Sebelah bangunan Conqueror ni juga. They exhibit the vast collection of arts, jewelries, heirlooms & money belongs to Ottoman dynasty in here. There are few other rooms that I entered. Based on the building's name, memang dalam ni diorang simpan all the treasures. Aku masuk area yang pamer portraits collection juga. Bolehlah 'berkenalan' sama Sultan-Sultan hebat zaman Uthmaniyyah dulu.

And later, penantian berakhir. Tiba masa untuk melangkah masuk pi Chamber of the Sacred Relics. Subhanallah!

# Privy Chamber

Where the most sacred relics of the Muslim world are housed. Peninggalan paling bernilai daripada Nabi Muhammad SAW. Jubah, dua bilah pedang, panah, gigi, rambut serta janggut Baginda SAW! Not to forget the autographed letter. Masa masuk dalam ni, memang meremang bulu roma. Was thinking of entering the building once more tapi bila tengok queue terus batal niat. Biarlah, bagi peluang orang lain pula kan. Lepas keluar dari sini, aku proceed pi next building. Before tu, sempatlah rest seminit dua. Ambil gambar kawasan keliling, pastu selca lagi. Haruslah kan! 

# Bangunan yang menyimpan khazanah Rasulullah SAW & sahabat-sahabat baginda.

# The Tower of Justice & Imperial Council building (right).

The building is the chamber in which the ministers of state, council ministers, the Imperial Council consisting of the Grand Vizier, viziers (wazir), and other leading officials of the Ottoman state held meetings. It consists of three adjoining main rooms. 

# Wall paintings & decoration are from the later rococo period. 

Picture below is The Kubbealti. Long sofas were seats for the officials with small hearth in the middle. Note that small gilded ball hangs from the ceiling? It is said to represent the earth & placed in front  of the Sultan's window which symbolizes him dispensing justice to the world. As well as keeping the power of his viziers in check. 

# The Kubbealti; the first Chamber where the Imperial Council held its deliberation.  

# Mampu ada gold plated grill for the window? 

From the window with this golden grill, Sultan was able to follow deliberations of the council without being noticed. When the sultan rapped on the grill or drew the red curtain, the Council session was terminate. Later the viziers were summoned one by one to the Audience Hall to present their reports to the Sultan. 

Keluar dari bangunan ni, terus disapa si Mr Drizzle. Pagi tadi punya main cerah, matahari seterik alam...alih-alih hujan di tengahari. Tapi ndak apa. Next building...the Harem. Amongst the place yang aku teringin sangat mau lawat.

eryantierdabdulkarim