Topkapi Palace with Harem Walking Tour with Guide

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. After meeting, , we will enter the Palace from the Babu Humayun gate and start to explore the Topkapi Palace from this gate. Topkapi Palace was a living, education and management center of the Ottoman Sultans and family. We will detailly explore each gate and gardens of the Palace. We will be visiting and informing about each part of the palace with the hidden stories and details. We will also visit the Harem Section of the Topkapi Palace where many people is not visiting. We will see Babuhumayun Gate, Royal Mint, Babusselam gate, Fatih open air museum, Kitchens of the Palace, Harem Section, Justice Tower, Divan-ı Humayun, Treasure, Babussade gate, Chamber of Petitions , Enderun ( "Interior Service" of the Imperial Court )

   2 h

2. The Second Largest Church After Hagia Sophia: The Hagia Irene located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace is the oldest church of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine). It was also the second largest church in Istanbul after Hagia Sophia. Hagia Irene, originally means “sacred peace” (Hagia Eirene), has a special meaning as the first place where Turkish museology was born. Hagia Irene, a typical Byzantine structure with its materials and architecture, was built on the site of an old temple in 330. During the reign of Emperor Justinianus, the Nika Revolt in 532 led to the devastation of both Hagia Sophia and the Hagia Irene, and two of them were rebuilt together. After the fall of Constantinople since the church was not converted into a mosque it was used as loot and gun depot (Harbiye Warehouse) for a long time.

   20 min

3. We will visit the most interesting part of the Palace, which is Harem Section. The Topkapi Palace Harem is undoubtedly the most opulent part of the palace. A world of lavishly decorated marble hallways, arched doorways, and over 400 rooms. Read on to get an idea of the lavish lifestyle that was led by the Ottoman Sultans in the Harem. The Harem, build at the end of the 16th century, was a labyrinth consisting of around 300 magnificently tiled rooms, connected by courtyards and fountain gardens. Since Islam forbade enslaving Muslims, the majority of the harem women were Christians or Jews, mostly received as gifts from potentates and nobles. Especially girls from Circassia, the area now known as Georgia and Armenia, were favored for their dazzling beauty. After entering the Harem, the girls were schooled in and converted to Islam and received proper palace training: they were taught how to write, read, play an instrument, sing, dance and provide pleasure to the sultan.

   1 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 6 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Istanbul

• Its from-price is 69% below the median of the 3649 experiences we list in Istanbul.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 1206 of 3649.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Istanbul

Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus, with Byzantine and Ottoman monuments, busy bazaars and ferries crossing between continents.

The historic peninsula holds the greatest landmarks. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome face each other in Sultanahmet, the Basilica Cistern lies beneath the streets, and Topkapı Palace spreads across the hill above the Golden Horn. A short walk away, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar have traded for centuries, and Süleymaniye Mosque, built by the great Ottoman architect Sinan, crowns one of the city's seven hills.

Top-ranked sights in Istanbul: Dolmabahce Palace (Dolmabahce Sarayi), Bosphorus, Bosphorus Bridge (Bogazici Koprusu).

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