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

Assalamualaikum. Marhaba.

Berzaman lah baru dapat habiskan entry Turkiye ni. Ngeks. Better late than never gitu. Sambungan dari previous entry (here).

Moving from the Tower of Justice, I entered the Imperial Harem. Yang ni kena beli entrance ticket separate. Tapi aku sudah beli siap-siap di main ticket counter pagi tu so I just have to scan my ticket.

"The Harem is one of the sections of the private apartments (Daires) of the sultan; it contained more than 400 rooms. It was home to the sultan's mother, the Valide Sultan, the concubines and wives of the sultan, and the rest of his family, including children & their servants. Every service team and hierarchical group residing in the harem had its own living space clustered around a courtyard." -wiki-

Upload gambar di fb, pastu ada kawan tegur caption aku 'Harem'. So kenalah bentang explanation. Aku pun ingat-ingat lupa fakta pasal Harem ni, luckily wikipedia ada.

6 April 2015
Harem, Topkapi Palace

I entered the Imperial Harem via Gate of Carts which lead to the Domed Cupboard Chamber. It's where the Harem treasury worked. Back then, there are cupboards in that room which kept the records of deeds of trust. Money from pious foundations & financial records of the imperials family were stored there. Later, I walked into the Hall of the Ablution Fountain. This is where the official entrance into the Harem. Dulu kala guarded by the Eunuchs.

# Courtyard of the Eunuchs.

The eunuchs' quarters & dormitories were built before the Harem's main entrance gate since they also act as guards for the Harem. The rooms on the first floor were for novices while the ones facing the courtyard were for those who worked for the administrative. 

# Standing before the Eunuchs' dormitories. The inscriptions on the facade includes the deeds of trust of the Sultans. 

# The door at the right lead to the Chief Harem Eunuch's apartment. It contains bath, living room & bedrooms. While the school room of the princes under the control of the Chief is above his apartment. 

# Harem main entrance gate.

Obviously this gate separates the Harem in which the family & concubines of the Sultan resided; from the Courtyard of the Eunuchs. This gate leads to three main sections of the Harem. Unfortunately out of the three doors; only door to the Court of the Queen Mother is open to public. Door to the Court of the Concubines is close to public. While door leads to the Sultan's quarters is undergoing some renovation work when I was there. 

The only accessible area for the Court of the Concubines is the Passage of Concubines that leads to the court. There are counters along the passage where eunuchs placed the dishes brought from the kitchens in the palace. Hence, chances for the eunuchs to meet the Concubines at random is almost zero. 

# Very intricate deco work at the Reception Room of the Queen Mother's apartment. 

Together with the Sultan's apartment, they are the largest & most important sections in the Harem. And yet again, the passage that leads the apartment to the Queen Mother's bathroom & Sultan's quarters are close. Too many close sections, mensampah tau. 

# Passed by this fireplace on my way to the Imperial Hall. 

# The Imperial Hall or also known as the Imperial Sofa.

# This hall has the largest dome in the palace.

Imperial Hall served as the official reception hall of the Sultan. Also functioned as entertainment area for the Harem. Entertainment means paying of homage during religious festivals. Wedding ceremonies took place here as well.  

There are few secret doors behind the mirrors which allowed the Sultan a safe passage. As the name suggests, haruslah we didn't know which of the many mirrors act as the secret door. Ngeh!

# Behind me is the Sultan's throne.

# Fountain in the Imperial Hall.

# Most of the walls in the palace are decorated with Iznik tiles. 

# The fountain at the Privy Chamber of Murat III. 

The oldest & finest surviving room in the Harem. The flow of the water was meant to prevent eavesdropping as well as providing a relaxed atmosphere to the room. Creative I must say. 

# Circumcision Room added by Sultan Ibrahim I. 

Circumcision of young princes, occurred here. It is a religion tradition in Islam for cleanliness & purity. 

# The tool used for circumcision. Siap ada tempat khas. In gold somemore. 

After nearly two hours in the Harem, I went out via the Twin Kiosk. 

# Decorative tiles wall & windows in coloured glass at the Apartments of the Crown Prince (Twin Kiosk).

Crown prince live here in seclusion hence the apartment is also called cage. He & the other princes were trained in the discipline of the Ottoman Harem until they reach adulthood. 

# Karakoy could be seen from the terrace. 

# Iftar Kiosk (Iftar Bower)

Overseeing the Golden Horn. It was reported that the Sultan has had the custom to break his fast under this bower during the fasting month. 

# Apartment at the Courtyard of the Favourites. 

In the harem organisation, the Favourites were conceived as the instruments of the perpetuation of the dynasty. When the Favourites became pregnant; they gained the title & powers of the official consort of the Sultan.

# Baghdad Kiosk

# The Terrace Mosque (Sofa Camii).

Digesting too many histories already. Time to let loose. Gitu! Padahal I made a promise earlier with the bestie that I am so gonna spend my me-time at the cafe located below the mosque; facing Bosphorus sea. 

# Konyali Lokantasi cafeteria

# Looking at these now make me drivel once more! Was literally spoil with choices!

The Malay lady who was queuing in front of me had list of must-try dishes/desserts in Istanbul. Nampak sangat eavesdropping conversation orang kan! Anyway, she decided to try the rice pudding. I was tempted to try as well but when asked what's my order by the waiter...I pointed a different dessert. Penyakit fickle-minded tahap infiniti! 

# Satisfied! Dapat jejak Topkapi...and dapat lepak depan Bosphorus as planned. Alhamdulillah.

I sat facing the sea for a good 10 minutes before suddenly it rained heavily. Bukan drizzling macam pagi tu, yang ni tiada ampun terus lebat. Sepantas kilat angkut pinggan & cawan; cari tempat berteduh. Pastu lepak lagi for another half an hour before I exited the palace. Kena tunggu hujan redah juga. 

Walkertapaki from the palace to Eminonu. I just followed the tram tracks. Saja try jalan lain.

# Mendung! It was still drizzling at this time.

Next mission? Mencekik Balik Ekmek. Yesterday I didn't get to try one due to the crowd at the Balik Ekmek ships. This time kena jadi because I will be leaving Istanbul later that night. Ambitious sangat semua pun mau buat in a day!

Anyway, I will update more later. Tangan sudah lenguh menaip.

eryantierdabdulkarim

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