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My favorite place to visit in Istanbul
was the Topkapi Palace. |
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The Topkapi Palace was built by
Mehmet II in 1462 A.D. Every sultan after him added something to the palace that became like a royal city. The Topkapi palace was the home to all sultans until 1860, a period of about 400 years. |
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After 1860, the palace was neglected,
until 1923 when it was renovated and turned into a museum. It is now one of Istanbul's most popular sights. |
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The main gate to the Topkapi Palace.
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The museum houses numerous excellent collections of porcelain, weapons,
costumes, relics of Mohammed, manuscripts, and jewels. Among the jewels are the emeralds made famous in the movie Topkapi - three enormous emeralds set in the handle of a dagger. |
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With the Topkapi Palace being home to the sultans, skilled artisans
decorated the buildings so they would be well-suited for royalty. |
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To the left is a ceiling in the reliquarry
and above is the tile work on the exterior of one of the buildings. |
