What’s Inside Topkapi Palace? | Courtyards, Gardens, Harem & More

Audience Chamber

Right behind the Gate of Felicity is the Audience Chamber, also called the Chamber of Petitions. This 15th-century building is decked with beautiful blue, turquoise, and white tiles and decorated with precious carpets and pillows.

The main throne room is inside the audience chamber. The slightly elevated throne is covered with gold cloth and has a baldachin decked with several pieces of brocade with pearls and emerald and ruby plaques sewn in.

Behind this chamber is the Dormitory of the Expeditionary Force where you can find the Imperial Wardrobe Collection with more than 2500 garments, including the kaftans of the Sultans.

The Imperial Treasury

The Conqueror's Pavilion, or Conqueror's Kiosk, is one of the oldest buildings in the palace. A vast collection of artworks, jewelry, heirlooms, and money belonging to the Ottoman dynasty was kept at the Imperial Treasury. Its Chief Treasurer was responsible for maintaining it.

One of Sultan Mustafa III’s suits of armour is on display in the Treasury room, consisting of a gold-plated iron coat of mail embellished with jewels. The treasury also houses the Topkapı Dagger, the Spoonmaker's Diamond, and Sultan Mahmud I's throne.

Miniature and Portrait Gallery

On the north side of the Imperial Treasury stands the pages' dormitory, which is now the Miniature and Portrait Gallery. The lower floor houses a collection of important calligraphy and miniatures. A collection of old and precious Qurans from the 12th to 17th centuries, hand-painted and hand-written in Kufic, are on display, as well as an Arabic Bible dating back to the 4th century. This collection contains a priceless world map drawn by Turkish admiral Piri Reis, which shows with reasonable accuracy parts of the western coasts of Europe and North Africa, as well as the coast of Brazil. 

Enderûn Library

The Neo-classical Enderûn Library, also known as the "Library of Sultan Ahmed III", is a stunning example of 18th-century Ottoman architecture. Located beneath the central arch of the portico is an elaborate drinking fountain with niches on each side. The library is clad in marble and a low basement protects its precious books from moisture.

A wall of cabinets houses the books. The niche opposite the entrance was the Sultan's private reading corner. Turkish, Arabic, and Persian texts about theology, Islamic law, and other aspects of scholarship were on display in the library.

Mosque of the Ağas

The Mosque of the Ağas is the largest of the palace’s mosques. As one of the city’s oldest structures, it dates back to Mehmed II’s reign in the 15th century. 

A collection of about 13,500 books and manuscripts collected by the Ottomans, including those from the Enderûn Library, was moved here and the area was converted into the Palace Library in 1928. On the northeast side of the mosque is the Imperial Portraits Collection.

Royal Pages Dormitory

Within the Dormitory of the Royal Pages, which was part of the Sultan's chambers, is the Imperial Portraits Collection. Among the painted portraits are some rare photographs of the later Ottoman Sultans, displayed in glass cases. A large painted tree of Ottoman rulers is one of the most intriguing features of the palace. On one of the pillars of the domed chamber, there is an engraving of a cross from the Byzantine period.  

Privy Chamber

A Pavilion of the Holy Mantle is located within the Chamber of Sacred Relics in the Privy Chamber. Sinan constructed the chamber under the reign of Sultan Murad III. It served as a palace office for the Sultan.

Here, one can see what are considered to be some of the “most sacred relics of the Muslim world”, including the cloak of Muhammad, a bow, two swords, his battle sabers, one tooth, the hair of his beard, and other Sacred Trusts. 

Circumcision Room

A summer kiosk dedicated to circumcising young princes, which is a religious tradition in Islam for cleanliness and purity, was added by Sultan Ibrahim I in 1640. The exterior of the building is decorated with blue tiles with floral motifs. Despite being relatively spacious for the palace, the room is symmetrically proportioned and has windows with small fountains.

Yerevan Kiosk

For 40 days, Yerevan Kiosk was used as a religious retreat. The pavilion has a central dome and three apses for sofas and textiles. It also has a fireplace and a door on its fourth wall. Those facing the colonnade have marble walls, while the rest have blue-and-white İznik tiles, patterned after those from a century earlier. 

Baghdad Kiosk

Baghdad Kiosk is located to the right of the fountain on the terrace. It was constructed after 1638 to commemorate Murad IV's Baghdad Campaign. It is similar to Yerevan Kiosk in appearance. A marble façade, porphyry strips, and verdant antiques cover the building. Marble panels adorn the portico in the style of the Cairene Mamluks. The interior illustrates the ideal Ottoman room.

Iftar Kiosk

A view of the Golden Horn can be seen from the gilded İftar Pavilion, also known as İftar Kiosk or İftar Bower. Today, it is a magnet for tourists for its photo opportunities. The ridged cradle vault on its roof was a first in Ottoman architecture, with echoes of China and India. During the month of Ramadan, the Sultan is said to have broken his fast here after sunset.

Terrace Kiosk

The Terrace Kiosk, also known as the Kiosk of Kara Mustafa Pasha, was built in the second half of the 16th century as a belvedere. Mahmud I rebuilt it in the Rococo style in 1752.

It consists of a main hall known as the Divanhane, a prayer room, and a Room for Sweet Fruit Beverages. The Sultan would entertain himself here by watching sporting or other events in the garden. While the building was used as a restroom earlier, in the Tulip Era, it was used as a guest lodge.

Head Tutor Tower

As the oldest building within the Fourth Courtyard, the Tower of the Head Tutor, also known as the Chamber of the Chief Physician and court drugstore, dates from the 15th century. 

Both the Chief Physician and the Chief Tutor lived in this shared residence. Here, the Chief Physician prepared the medicines for the Sultan and the Imperial family. Patients received palace drugs prepared, mixed, and sealed in bottles, jars, boxes, or bowls, under his supervision and that of the Chief Tutor.

Grand Kiosk

Built in 1840, the Grand Kiosk, also known as the Mecidiye Kiosk, Grand Pavilion or Kiosk of Abdül Mecid I, was the palace's last significant addition, along with the adjacent Wardrobe Chamber. Because of their outstanding location, giving panoramic views of the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus, both were built on the orders of Sultan Abdül Mecid I as imperial reception and resting places. From their seaside palaces, the Sultans would stay here whenever they visited Topkapi Palace.

Terrace Mosque

Mahmud II constructed the Terrace Mosque of Topkapi Palace, also called the Sofa Mosque, in the Empire style for the use of the Sofa Ocaği corps in the 19th century. In its place once stood the Swordbearer’s Kiosk.

It appears that the mosque was restored in 1858 by Sultan Abdülmecid I, according to the inscription at the gate.