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II) ADDITIONAL BUILDING (NEW BUILDING)
The additional building attached to the southeast of the main
building is of 6 stories. There are depots in the two stories
under the ground floor.
The four stories of the building are arranged as exhibition
saloons. There is “Istanbul for Ages” on the first floor of the
building, “Anatolia and Troia for Ages” on the second floor and
“Surrounding Cultures of Anatolia: Cyprus, Syria-Palestine” on
the top floor. There is Infant Museum and architectural works
display on the first floor of the additional building. The
Thrakia-Bithynia and Byzantium display saloon, which was opened
in August 1998, can be visited on the floor under the first
floor with the name of “Surrounding Cultures of Istanbul”.
The museum has received the European Council Museum Award in
1991, which is its 100. establishment anniversary, with the new
arrangement made in the lower floor saloons and the Additional
Building display.
OLD EASTERN WORKS MUSEUM
The building, which was made by Osman Hamdi bey in 1883 as
Sanayi-i Nefise (Fine Arts School), was organized as a museum
with the works made between 1917-1919 and 1932-1935. The
building, which was closed to visit in 1963, was opened to visit
again in 1974 with a new display by changing the inner parts.
On the upper floor of the two-flat building, Anatolian,
Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Arabic works of art are displayed.
Statue of Naramsin, the king of Akad, the Kades Agreement and
Zincirli statue are the unique works of art in the museum.
Moreover, in this museum there is a “Tablet Archive” in which
75.000 documents with cuneiform writings are kept.
ENAMELED KIOSK MUSEUM
The kiosk that has been made by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1472 is
one of the oldest examples of Ottoman civil architecture in
Istanbul. It has been used as Muze-i Humayun (Empire Museum)
between 1875-1891. It was opened to public in 1953 with the name
of Fatih Museum where Turkish and Islamic works of art were
displayed and it was transferred to Istanbul Archeology Museums
due to its site.
The entrance façade of the kiosk is single-flat and the back
façade is of two-stories. There is a marble porch of 14 columns
in the entrance. The entrance exedra is decorated with mosaic
enamels. Various chinaware and ceramics from the Seljuk and
Ottoman period are displayed in the Kiosk that forms from 6
rooms and a middle saloon. There are approximately 2000 works of
art in the museum and its depots.
TOPKAPI PALACE MUSEUM |
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It is located on the promontory of the historical peninsula in
Istanbul which overlooks both the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus.
The walls enclosing the palace grounds, the main gate on the
land side and the first buildings were constructed during the
time of Fatih Sultan Mehmet (the Conqueror) (1451 - 81). The
palace has taken its present layout with the addition of new
structures in the later centuries. Topkapi Palace was the
official residence of the Ottoman Sultans, starting with Fatih
Sultan Mehmet until 1856, when Abdülmecid moved to the
Dolmabahce palace, functioned as the administrative center of
the state. The Enderun section also gained importance as a
school.
The main exterior gate of the Topkapi Palace is the Imperial
Gate (Bab-i Humayun) which opens up to the Ayasofya Square. This
gate leads to a garden known as the First Court. This court has
the Aya Irene Church which was once used as an ammunition depot
and behind the Church there is the mint. In the past various
pavilions allocated to different services of the palace were
located in the First Court. In later years these have been
replaced with public buildings and schools. Some of these are
still existing. At the end of the 19th century Archeology Museum
and School of Fine Arts (now Oriental Works Museum) were built
in the large garden which is to the northwest of the First Court.
The oldest structure in this section is the Çinili Kosk built by
Fatih, which is now used as the Museum of Turkish Tiles and
Ceramics. On the walls of this outer garden facing Bab-i ali (the
Imperial Gate), there is Alay Koskü (procession Pavilion) where
the Sultans used to watch the marching ceremonies. A section of
the outer garden was planned by the municipality at the
beginning of the 20th century and opened to the public. Known
today as the Gülhane Park, the enterance has one of the largest
gates of the palace. After the First Court, there is the Second
Court which contains the palace buildings. It is entered through
a monumental gate called Bab'us-Selam or the Middle Gate. The
buildings in this court form the outer section of the palace
which is called Birun. On the right there are the instantly
noticed palace kitchens with their domes and chimneys and the
dormitories of those who worked there. The most important of the
buildings on the left side of the court are the Kubbealti and
the Inner Treasury. Behind Kubbealti rises the Justice Tower,
which is one of the symbols of the Topkapi Palace. The Harem
section, which comes all the way to the back of these buildings
is entered from the Third Court. Third Court is entered through
the gate called Bab'üs Sa'ade (Gate of the White Eunuchs). This
section of the palace is called Enderun, and it is the section
where the sultans live with their extended families. Hence it is
specially protected. The barracks of the Akagalar, which guard
Bab'üs Sa'ade are on both sides of the gate. There are two
structures. The first which is immediately opposite the gate is
the Throne Room or the Audience Hall. Here the sultans receive
the ambassadors and high ranking state officials such as Grand
Visier or the Visiers. Right behind the Throne Room there is the
library built by Ahmet III (1703 - 30). On the right side of the
Third Court, there is the barracks of the Enderun and the Privy
Treasury which is also known as the Mehmet the Conqueror
Pavilion. On the side facing the Fourth Court, there is the
Larder Barracks of the Enderun, the Treasury Chamber and the
Chamber of the Sacred Relics. The left side starts with the
Harem. The harem which covers a large part of the Palace
consists of about 60 spaces of varying sizes. The main
structures which are located in front of the Harem, facing the
Third Court are Akagalar Mosque, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, Barracks
of the Sacred Relics Guards and Chambers of the Sacred Relics.
Here, the sacred relics brought back by Sultan Yavuz Selim from
Egypt in 1517 are kept. The Fourth Court is entered from a
covered path going from both sides of the Treasury Room. Here
the buildings are located in the first part of the court, which
has two sections of different levels. On the left side of this
section called Lala Garden or Lale Garden there is Mabeyn which
is the beginning point of Harem's access to the garden, terrace
for the ladies with removable glass enclosure, Circumcision Room,
Sultan Ibrahim Patio and another one of the symbols of Topkapi
palace, the Iftariye (or Kameriye) and Baghdad Pavilion. This
pavilion was built by Murad IV in 1640 to commemorate the
Baghdad Campaign. At the center of the first section of the
Fourth Court, there is the Big Pool and Ravan Pavilion next to
it. This pavilion was also built by Murad IV in 1629, to
commemorate the Revan Campaign. The side facing the second
section has Sofa Pavilion (Koca Mustafa Pasha Pavilion), Basbala
Tower and Hekimbasi (Chief Physician) Room. The Sofa Mosque and
Esvap Chamber and the latest built Mecidiye Pavilion are on the
right hand side of the Fourth Court. Out of the pavillions built
on the shore of the Marmara Sea, only Sepetciler Mansion has
survived until the present.
During 18th. Century when the Topkapi palace took its final
shape, it was sheltering a population of more than 10.000 in its
outer (Birun) and inner (Enderun) and Harem sections. It shows
no architectural unity as new parts were added in every period
according to the needs. However, this enables us to follow the
stages Ottoman Architecture went through from the 15th to the
middle of the 19th century at the Topkapi Palace. The buildings
of the 15th - 17th centuries are simpler and those of the 18th -
19th centuries, particularly in terms of exterior and interior
ornamentation are more complex.
Topkapi Palace was converted to a museum in 1924. Parts of the
Palace such as the Harem, Baghdad Pavilion, Revan Pavilion, Sofa
Pavilion, and the Audience Chamber distinguish themselves with
their architectural assets, while in other sections artifacts
are displayed which reflect the palace life. The museum also has
collections from various donations and a library.
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