25 Nov 09, the day continued with our next destination, the Topkapi Palace. The palace overlooks the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara, with the Bosphorus in plain sight from many points of the palace. The site is hilly and one of the highest points close to the sea. The palace is full of examples of Ottoman architecture and also contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasure and jewelry. We were not allowed to take photos inside yet again, so I put here photos from the internet. There were various collections of treasures here, made from pearls, gemstones and diamonds, all mesmerizing for the eyes to see. There were also some historical objects linked to the Prophets, e.g. cane stick belonging to Prophet Musa a.s. and footprint of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w casted in a kind of stone. There was also Qur’an recitation here, whereby the reciters take turns to read the Holy Qur’an all around the clock, non-stop since 100 years ago. This place was truly fascinating. Visit this website for more info: http://www.topkapipalace.com/
Some general info on Topkapi Palace: The Topkapi Palace is a palace in Istanbul, Turkey, which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years of their 600-year reign, from 1465 to 1856. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today, containing the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as the prophet Muhammed's cloak and sword. Topkapı Palace is among those monuments belonging to the "Historic Areas of Istanbul", which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.Here are our photos outside the palace.
After Topkapi Palace, I stayed back at the hotel while the others continued for another shopping spree around the nearby bazaars. They bought decorative lamps, bed cover, cushion covers – wow, talk about shopping. Thank God I didn’t go, or else I’d hv shopped til I dropped!
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