Ottoman Court

As the month of Ramadan will begin soon, approximately 600 works of art are on display for visitors in the Chamber of Holy Relics at Topkapı Palace.

The artworks in the Chamber of Holy Relics can be visited every day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. except Tuesday.

Restoration works at Topkapı Palace, a peerless marvel that has been home to the Ottoman dynasty for more than 400 years in Istanbul, are about to finish soon.

The efforts have been continuing since 2019, and when they are finished, visitors will be able to see the Fatih Mansion, which was one of the most visited sections in the palace.

An example of classical period decoration called "saz-style" has been found on the vaulted ceiling in the fourth courtyard of Istanbul's iconic Topkapı Palace, the former seat of the Ottoman sultans and their retinues, during a restoration work that has been ongoing for five months.

The National Palaces Administration, which is temporarily closed to visitors in efforts to protect public health within the measures taken against the novel coronavirus, continues its restoration works within alternating and flexible working hours.

Ongoing restorations at Topkapı Palace have unearthed never-before-seen silver and gold coins, jewelries, talismans, amulets and letters. But one mysterious finding amongst others was an encrypted letter dating back to 1871, carrying the seal of Cevher Agha, also known as the Dârüssaade Ağası, the chief eunuch of Sultan Abdülaziz’s harem, found in a closet at the harem of the palace.

After a number of scientific reports raised the alarm that Istanbul's historic Topkapı Palace is sliding steadily toward the sea, officials have launched  a restoration effort that is planned to take around three decades. 

Istanbul's Topkapı Palace Museum is undergoing the most comprehensive restoration project in its history. The ongoing 24 projects are expected to cost 220 million Turkish Liras, Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı has said in a statement.

Istanbul's Topkapı Palace Museum is undergoing the most comprehensive restoration project in its history. The ongoing 24 projects are expected to cost 220 million Turkish Liras, Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı has said in a statement.

'The Black Eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire: Networks of Power in the Court of the Sultan' by George Junne (I.B. Tauris, 336 pages, £64)

Turkish Culture Minister Nabi Avcı visited Istanbul's historical Topkapı Palace on Oct. 3 after news reports that the popular Ottoman-era tourist site is riddled with dangerous cracks in its treasury room.