Decorated ceiling in Topkapi Palace. Istanbul, Turkey

---

The Topkapı Palace (Turkish: Topkapı Sarayı) is a palace in Istanbul, Turkey, which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today, containing the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as the Prophet Muhammed's cloak and sword. Topkapı Palace is among those monuments belonging to the "Historic Areas of Istanbul", which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and is described in Criterion iv as "the best example[s] of ensembles of palaces [...] of the Ottoman period.

---

Size: 4247px × 2826px
Location: Istanbul, turkey
Photo credit: © Roberto Esposti / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: mid-15th, architecture, baroque, ceiling, century, decorated, decorations, heritage, ottoman, paintings, palace, sarayı, site, sultans, topkapi, topkapı, unesco, world, سرايى, طوپقپو