On my "weekend" this week (Thursday and Friday, as we have weekend classes here), I took advantage of the beautiful weather to visit the beautiful, historical Topkapi Palace in Sultanahment. Apparently, there was a very famous film made about the place in the 1950s chronicling the gift of a certain dagger to a Shah of Iran, which was, in transit, sent back to Istanbul after the sudden death of the Shah. The dagger was spectacular, studded with emeralds, rubies, pearls, and turquiose; note to self- must see this film!
The entrance grounds were spectacular in the afternoon sunlight.
Once inside the main courtyard, all was picturesque.
Everything was written in Arabic, planting a new seed of curiousity inside of me. Too many seeds these days - I am currently studying Turkish, Greek, Japanese, and Middle Eastern History.
The details on the buildings were astounding. Inside, there were numerous treasures, of which i was not allowed to take photos. Jewelry, thrones, weapons (some from Christ's time!), and a few really amazing religious artifacts. They had Moses' Rod on display, the one used to part the Red Sea in his famous trek to Egypt. They had Joseph's, son of Jacob and of the "Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" fame, royal turban, from his days as an Egyptian leader. A bowl Abraham used to eat out of, the footprint made by Muhammed in stone as he ascended to heaven, and a myriad of other things were housed here. I'm not sure how much of it I believe to be authentic; in any case, it was mighty interesting.
Topkapi Palace borders the Bosphorus, providing it's previous inhabitants and current visitors with breath-taking views.
Beautiful place. It made me excited to be living in such a fascinating location!
2 comments:
Nice pictures- colorful and enticing...maybe I want to visit istanbul!
istanbul is my dream city.
Istanbul is my lovely city.
Post a Comment