Once inside of Topkapi Palace you'll eventually come across the Harem, or Women's Palace. To tour the Harem, it will cost an additional 15TL (on top of the 20 TL you paid to get into Topkapi in the first place...) but in my opinion, the Harem is the most fascinating place in the compound and feels like the heart and soul of the palace.
Trusty Wiki says this:
Layout of the Harem and the Sultan's Private Apartments. (click on image for details)
The Gate of Carts entrance
The Imperial Harem (Harem-i Hümayûn) occupied one of the sections of the private apartments of the sultan; it contained more than 400 rooms.[74] The harem was home to the sultan's mother, the Valide Sultan; the concubines[75]
The harem consists of a series of buildings and structures, connected
through hallways and courtyards. Every service team and hierarchical
group residing in the harem had its own living space clustered around a
courtyard. The number of rooms is not determined, with probably over
100,[76] of which only a few are open to the public. These apartments ( and wives of the sultan; and the rest of his family, including children; and their servants.Daires) were occupied respectively by the harem eunuchs, the Chief Harem Eunuch (Darüssaade Ağası),
the concubines, the queen mother, the sultan's consorts, the princes
and the favourites. There was no trespassing beyond the gates of the
harem, except for the sultan, the queen mother, the sultan's consorts
and favourites, the princes and the concubines as well as the eunuchs
guarding the harem. The harem wing was only added at the end of the 16th
century. Many of the rooms and features in the Harem were designed by
Mimar Sinan. The harem section opens into the Second Courtyard (Divan Meydanı), which the Gate of Carriages (Arabalar Kapısı)
also opens to. The structures expanded over time towards the Golden
Horn side and evolved into a huge complex. The buildings added to this
complex from its initial date of construction in the 15th century until
the early 19th century capture the stylistic development of palace
design and decoration. Parts of the harem were redecorated under the
sultans Mahmud I and Osman III in an Italian-inspired Ottoman Baroque style. These decorations contrast with those of the Ottoman classical age.
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I entered the Harem with mixed feelings. The history of the place fascinated me. But what it stands for in contrast to modern Women's rights is a downright nightmare. Put simply: I'm really happy to have been a tourist here. I would not like to have been a woman living here.
Trusty Wiki says this:
--
I entered the Harem with mixed feelings. The history of the place fascinated me. But what it stands for in contrast to modern Women's rights is a downright nightmare. Put simply: I'm really happy to have been a tourist here. I would not like to have been a woman living here.
This table is where meals were served in the Harem. It's a sort of buffet.
The women were served according to rank/hierarchy.
Courtyard of the Favorites
It's just a drain. But I like the textures.
This plain hallway is called the Golden Road. It led from the Sultan's chambers to the Harem. It is believed by some to be called the Golden Road because the Sultan was said to throw golden coins to the residents of the Harem here on festival days.
