Topkapı Palace opened to night visitors
ISTANBUL
Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace, affiliated with the National Palaces Department, opened its doors at night for the first time on June 30 to visitors.
The palace will be open every Saturday night between 9 and 11 p.m. and visitors will have the opportunity to tour the palace in two groups.
During the tour, visitors will be able to see the Imperial Council Chamber (Divan-ı Humayun), the Imperial Court (Kubbealtı) and the Palace Clocks Gallery located in the second courtyard.
In the Harem section, they will be able to visit the Karaağalar Prayer Room, Karaağalar Courtyard, Concubines Corridor, Valide Sultan's Apartment, Sultan's Bath, the room of Murat III, Apartments of the Favorites, Mabeyn Courtyard, Golden Road and Kuşhane Kitchen, which was recently opened to visitors with its new display area.
The Supply Room, the Chamber of the Sacred Relics, Fatih Mansion and the Treasury Exhibition, located in the third courtyard of Topkapı Palace, will also be open to visitors.
Artifacts such as the Kaşıkçı Diamond, the Topkapı Dagger and the Golden Throne, which are included in the world-famous Treasure Exhibition of the Topkapı Palace, can also be seen by visitors during the tour.
The city view in the last courtyard of Topkapı Palace, called the Garden of Pavilions, became the center of attention for visitors during the first night tour of the palace.
It was reported that ticket prices for the night tours will be different from daytime visit prices. The fee for night visits will be 1,000 Turkish Liras for Turkish citizens and 5,000 liras for tourists.
First in the palace’s history
Topkapı Palace Department head İlhan Kocaman said that this is the first time in the palace’s history that it'll welcome visitors at night.
"We have made a project to enable people to visit both the open and closed areas in the palace. Now we implement this project. It is the first time in the history of Topkapı Palace that such a project is carried out. The goal is to make people see the palace sections and courtyards at night. They will be able to visit the entire palace, especially the Seraglio, other gardens and galleries. This is a place that has been served ed as a capital for 400 years. Everyone is curious about this place; what life was like here at night as well as during the day. So we created this project.”
Kocaman stated that they will keep all parts of the palace open and provide tours for two hours, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., every Saturday.
“We make tours in groups because electricity is not provided in certain parts of the palace for security reasons. Because we think that individual tours in those sections will be difficult. We will form a group at the Bab-u Selam gate,” he added.
