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When
Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople in 1453, he
found the palaces of the Byzantine Emperors in such
ruins as to be uninhabitable. He chose a large area on
the broad peak of the Third Hill as the site of his
first imperial residence. He constructed a great complex
of buildings and gardens here and they came to be known
as "Eski Saray" which means "The Old Palace". A few
years later, he decided to have his palace on the N side
of the First Hill which had been the acropolis of the
ancient Byzantium. He constructed a massive wall
surrounding the area along the Sea of Marmara to the
Golden Horn. This took place during the period 1459-65
after the Sultan left the former palace to women of his
father's harem. The Harem in Topkapi Palace in its
present state dates back to the reign of Murat III(1574-95),
Mehmed IV(1648-87) and Osman III(1754-57).
Topkapi Palace was more than just the private
residence of the Sultan and his court. It was the seat
of the supreme executive and judiciary council, the
Divan and the training school, the Palace School. In the
First Courtyard, there were a hospital, bakery,arsenal,
a state mint, a part of the treasury and the Outer
Service. It was open to public. The Second Courtyard was
open to people who had business with the council. The
Third Courtyard was reserved to the Sultan's household
and palace children. The Fourth Courtyard was
exclusively reserved for the Sultan's use.
Topkapi Palace continued to be the principal
residence for four centuries until in 1853, Sultan Abdul
Mecid I moved into the new palace of Dolmabahce on the
Bosphorus. The old palace was used as house for the
women of the departed sultans and their servants until
the Harem was officially disbanded in 1909. In 1924,
Topkapi Palace was converted to a museum with the order
of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The final step was the opening
of the Harem to the public in 1960.
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