By inspecting Topkapi you are looking into the whims and interests of the sultanates of the Ottoman Empire. Save about three hours to walk around this palace and the areas and look very closely at design details. There is a beauty here which is an amalgamation from many different cultures which can’t give you some insight into the thinking of past generations. After I visited I remembered there was a movie “Topkapi” so I went back to see that and it was about a heist in this palace and it’s a kind of an interesting movie. You can see where a famous mission impossible movie scene was copied. I won’t spill the beans. You will just need to watch the movie and enjoy the limited view of the palace until you get a chance to visit.
The palace was named ‘Topkapi’ in the 1800s, meaning ‘cannon gate. ‘ Before that, it was simply known as the New Palace. It was commissioned by Mehmed the Conqueror in 1459, soon after he took over Constantinople.
