Hello archi lovers!
We return to the magical city of Istanbul to continue discovering fascinating places, such as an imposing setting that seems straight out of "The Thousand and One Nights". A historic monumental site, a royal palace with its park and fantastic views of the Bosphorus again, in the ancient downtown of the city, and this is the Topkapı Palace.
And we will see how the wonderful architecture of this residential complex from another era of the past stands out among all that is to be seen, ornately decorated, with its well-defined structure and its own wall. A place not to be missed, especially if you enjoy history, and also architecture and design with oriental and beautiful influences.
And the entrance is already attractive, a beautiful and pleasant urban park that surrounds the walls, and the main door of a castle fortress marked with two towers on the sides, we want to go inside...
From the beginning we find elements that draw our attention, such as a robust stone fountain, framed in a large arch, and many decorations written in Arabic, which regardless of the message, perform their decorative function with their golden touch that gives splendor to the entire architectural complex that we are discovering.
Of course, within the different rooms that make up the entire architectural complex of several buildings or halls, all of them incredibly decorated. More splendor, more gold, and thousands of elements that drive our eyes crazy, we don't know where to look, everything is beautiful.
During the tour, in some parts we go parallel to the wall itself, bordering its fabulous perimeter, and that allows us to see the Bosphorus itself, and enjoy the stunning views of an important part of the city, even in the distance, the Galata Tower stands out, there from a privileged and idyllic place with vegetation that comforts us.
Surely there the sultans and all their wives, and other courtiers, slaves, all the people who lived there, would go to those open areas to think, talk or plot something... or simply to let themselves go watching the different ships, which already in their time would pass by, sailing those busy waters that have undoubtedly also witnessed many moments in history.
Inspired by the views, we return to the inner area, where there are more structures and buildings, and other elements in palatial gardens, until we come face to face with porticoed areas, with spectacular arches and arabesque decoration.
But inside we are more surprised... charming fountains, flowers, facades with tiles and mosaics of inviting shades and with beautiful ornamental elements, columns in porticos with pointed arches in the Arabic style and especially, once inside, dreamy multicolored domes. There the play of light, reflections, gilding, ornaments and goldsmith's lamps, intricate pieces of ceramics, everything creates a totally magical atmosphere that stuns the senses, we live a colorful, almost mystical experience. That is what architecture at its highest level makes those who live in it feel.
Once, after the visual ecstasy of such architectural artistic creations, we return to the sunlight, to the outside, because there are still more elements to observe.
Specifically, other enclaves and small constructions that complete the entire structural complex in which we find ourselves, we discover more domes and minarets, towers, small pavilions, and more columns, arches and decorated porticos, in different areas now heavily frequented by amazed tourists.
And along the way, small garden elements, such as a gilded canopy (or small picnic area), and even objects from the period in display cases also outdoors, an ancient sundial now surprises us. The palace is definitely more than a palace, an open-air museum and a historical bubble preserved from another time.
And while we continue with our eyes wide open and our senses enraptured, we breathe and relax from such an intense architectural journey, in a pleasant park area that we have already mentioned, there are both inside and around, flowers of an intense red like the Turkish flag itself, creating a beautiful frame that encompasses the entire impressive historical complex that we have seen.
Thus, enchanted, we leave the Arabesque tale, the fascinating history, the striking architectural styles and all that real fantasy environment that ancient architecture once again gives us, in the form of a magnificent sensory experience.
I hope you liked it, I will be sharing other posts about more places in Istanbul soon, if you are more curious... because it is a marvelous and magical city!
More about Istanbul here:
Istanbul, Turkey 🇹🇷❤️ Europe/Asia
Thanks for reading! Have a charming and nice day.
The text is totally mine and the photos too, by ©Duvinca, helped by DeepL translator and the banners have been created by me using Canva.com -NO AI-
