Topkapı Palace was built by Sultan Mehmed the Conquerer during the years 1460-1478, following the conquest of Istanbul. New buildings and annexes were added by other sultans over the centuries, creating the palace complex as we know it today. The palace remained the sultan’s main residence and centre of government until the mid-19th century. By the 1840s, the palace had become inadequate for the needs of state protocol, and Dolmabahçe Palace was built between 1843-1856 as the new official residence and administrative centre of the empire.
Topkapı Palace is situated in one of the oldest parts of Istanbul; the historic peninsula bounded by the Marmara Sea, the Bosphorus Strait and the Golden Horn inlet. It is one of the city’s most iconic buildings, covering an area of 700,000 m² on the headland known as Sarayburnu, which had been the site of the Eastern Roman acropolis. Topkapı Palace was the centre of Ottoman government, education and art for nearly four centuries, until the reign of the 31st Ottoman sultan Abdülmecid (r. 1839-1861), as well as the sultan’s official residence.
Although the sultans lived at Dolmabahçe Palace from the middle of the 19th century onwards, Topkapı Palace was not completely abandoned, and was used for official occasions such as festivals, enthronements, funerals and embassy receptions until the last days of the Ottoman state. The palace was transformed into a museum in 1924 and opened its gates to the public in 1934. Today, Topkapı Palace is considered to be one of the most important museums in terms of world architecture.
