A little note on Istanbul: Trails of Civilization #Topkapi Palace - The Harem

Aren't you intrigued...
Sumpah saya penasaran...

Reading this writing on the wall...
Baca tulisan yang ada di dinding saat menyusuri kompleks Istana Topkapi di Istanbul...

The writing on the wall...

I can't help but wonder...
What's in there?

Beneran... setelah membaca dari berbagai sumber, tanya sana-sini, saya dan Udi, my hubby, langsung celingukan mencari tempat ini...

HAREM

THE HAREM

Situated on the north part of the second courtyard of Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, I certainly have tons of questions in my mind as I paid the extra ticket to get into this section...

What so special about it?

My guide book described how this place has attracted so many visitors just to hear the name :D...
Well, to my limited knowledge, the word Harem is originated from Arabic and it means forbidden...
So, are those living in this place 'forbidden'?
Hmmm...I have no answer to that...

Open the door and welcome....

But for sure, the establishment in this area is just amazingly beautiful...
Of course, we are talking about the Sultan's wives and concubines..The Harem..
I imagine drop dead gorgeous and beautiful ladies lived here for the Sultan's pleasures, under the command of Queen Mother!

Starting from the very first corridor as we stepped into, we have wowed by beauty of it... Well, to those who have read my previous postings on Topkapi (click here) or even Hagia Sofia (click here) and Blue Mosque (click here), might be bored with this 'wowed' thing..

one of the lounges...I really wanna sit here :)...

Long narrow hallways will welcome you, adorned with its blue-dominated flower ceramic tiles that has been galvanized as Turkish specialty. Rooms after rooms are there for you to see...and to imagine how it was in its heyday...

one of the hallways....

one of the rooms...

Again, lines of most beautiful women in Istanbul, or maybe even in Turkey, dressed in traditional costumes and smelled wonderful with bright smiles filled my imagination. 

I overheard a guide mentioning Roxelana, one of the legendary powerful women in the history of Ottoman empire, who started her days in the harem before becoming the legally wedded wife of Sultan Suleiman, the Magnificient and being the mother of 5 of Sultan's children, including his heir. Hmmm...I have to check for more juicy details for that :D...

The illustration in one of the rooms...kebayang para wanita cantik ituuu :D...

Kalau mendengar kata Harem, terus terang saja, saya langsung membayangkan deretan wanita-wanita cantik pilihan untuk menemani Sang Sultan. Don't ask me further, karena 'selir' alias 'wanita simpanan', yang notabene menjelaskan arti concubine, langsung terlintas :D. Tak heran kalau tempat ini memang cantiiik sekali..karena penghuni juga wanita pilihan. Dan pada masa itu, sah-sah saja Sultan memiliki begitu banyak 'teman' wanita yang memang bertugas untuk menyenangkan hatinya

Dan khusus di bagian ini, ruangan yang tersedia pun banyaaaak sekali...Kalau menurut buku petunjuk saya, ada sekitar 400 kamar khusus di bagian Harem, karena di setiap masa pemerintahan satu Sultan tertentu, kamar-kamar baru pun ditambahkan. Tidak heran kalau bangunan tambahan itu seperti memiliki gaya arsitektur yang berbeda.

beautiful windows....the detailed corrugated metal used are lovely

Satu hal yang pasti, keramik cantik khas Turki dengan motif bunga mendominasi berbagai ruangan indah di bagian khusus untuk para wanita pilihan Sultan ini. Sangat feminim, dan juga mewah! Pinggiran cat emas melengkapi cantiknya kamar-kamar yang tersedia di sini. Pokoknya seneng deeh liatnya :D...

the fireplace...not only the tiles, but the  metal craft is also amazing...

Not only the rooms with their amazing details, even the bathrooms and toilets are interesting to see :D...

the royal bathrooom :D....

a comfy stool for you, ladies :D...

I want one at home :D....

need to freshen up? here's the place :D...

That's just the toilets :D....

toilet jongkok :D...

Let alone the Sultan's couch...the one that you see above...

And the Courtyard of the Favorites :D....I like the name :)..apa ya rasanya jadi favoritnya Sultan #aduuuuh....

The courtyard of favorites...Like the name! imagining pretty ladies smiling, hoping the Sultan would pick her :D...

Dan seperti saat melihat bagian lain dari istana ini, rasanya memang tidak selesai-selesai rasa kagum ini...takjub dengan keindahan sekaligus sejarah kompleks ini...

Jangan bosen ya kalau Mama Bo et Obi masih berbagi cerita tentang Istanbul :D...

Cheers..

A little note on Istanbul: Trails of civilization #5: Topkapi Palace (photo gallery)

What do you have in mind when you hear the word Royal Residence?

Huge, beautiful palace? 

Intricately adorned pavilions?                 

Golden statues?

Vast courtyard with fragrance orange trees and flowers?

Beautiful garden filled with roses? 

Giant chandeliers?

Well, that's what I have in mind :D..

I guess you will see them all in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul..

After some warming up here, I still have some more to share...

So….Let’s explore more of this amazing place, shall we…
And tell me what you see....

These are some of the pictures that my hubby, Bo and I captured...
Hopefully you enjoy them as much as we do...

A little note on Istanbul: Trails of civilization #4: Topkapi Palace

Looks like I have a loooong note on Istanbul, the city of wonders..
Or as I dubbed in the title, the city filled with trails of civilization :)..

After noting down and immortalizing the wonderful details of Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia , I can't wait to share this one..

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present the Topkapi Palace...

one incredible corner of Topkapi Place...

Well, I hope I have warned you enough...that visiting Istanbul means endless woow, lotsa walks and  tons of pictures :D...

After getting close and personal with Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, let's get ourselves ready to visit the primary residence of several Sultans of the Ottoman period for hundreds of years...

In front of the Ahmed Library...inside of the Topkapi Palace complex...

Open quite early, at 9 am,  Topkapi Palace have different opening hours for summer and winter...in Summer, they close at 6 pm, while during winter, they close at 4 pm. Although they open at 9, don;t be surprised if the lining up is already loooong even at 8 am :D...So, better get there early...

With 25 TL or approximately 12.5 Euro, we can visit this lovely place. But that doesn't include Harem section (you have to buy a separate ticket for that..I forgot how much it was :D, I guess it was quite expensive..around 18TL per person) and the audio device (I guess it costs 10TL). 

Once you are inside, you will see that tt is actually a huge complex...well, covering an area of approximately of 700 hectares (see...it is hugeeee...), Udi and I was carefully planning our visit as we didn't really have that luxury of time.

The map of Topkapi...taken from our guide book...

According to our guide book and the brochure, there are 4 courtyards in Topkapi Palace...each courtyards has its own highlights, most-visited sites... Judging from the time we have, around 4 hours, we decided to see the Harem Section, Imperial treasury, Sacred Relics Section and everything we could cover on the surroundings :D...

It proved to be an ambitious plan :D..

Getting here and there, taking pictures at almost every corner and comforting Bo to stick around and enjoy the visit as well surely took our time :D...

Bo ...in one corner of the Harem section ;D...

Bo was not that enthusiastic before....but then he had so much fun with the audio device :D..

In fact, in the end... it took 3 visits in 2010, 2012, and 2013 for me to actually see the many areas and corners of the Topkapi Palace as well as taking more photos here...

And how we were amazed by the beauty of this Imperial residence...

Welcome to Topkapi palace...

We were walking quite far from the gate...well, it took around 15 minutes from Sultanahmet tram stop to walk past the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia to get to Topkapi Palace...actually, there is one more stop after Sultanahmet, but we wanted to see the Marmara sea :D...

Located in Sultanahmet complex at Eminonu, Istanbul, this incredible palace was built in 1460 - 1478 and has served as the home of several Ottoman Sultans, including the famous  Sultan Mehmed II. the conquerer of Byzantine Constantinopel who ordered the establishment of this Palace. Such a great location indeed...Facing the Sea of Marmara, I can imagine the grandeur of this complex in its heyday...

The Imperial Gate...

As you can see from the photo above, even the gate was so captivating...adorned with sacred verses in intricate calligraphy, the structure of the gate is strongly supported by marble stones.

Well, I guess I will have to come back for more stories in details...and more photos for sure :D...
Meanwhile, enjoy some 'teasers' from Topkapi Palace taken during our first visit :D..

Photos are taken by Udi, my hubby, and I :p...

Bo et Bapak Udi...taking a break for a while...

Bo at one of the pavilions...

It's just one of the many fountains you can find in Topkapi...look at the details...

We just loveee the ceramics....And Bo was happy with his audio :D..

More details from Topkapi Palace... 

The ceiling in one of the Pavilions...

More details are comiiiing...so please bear with me yaa ...

Photos are taken by Udi, my hubby, and I :p...

A little note on Istanbul: Trails of civilization #3: Hagia Sofia...

Belum bosen kan dengan I s t a n b u l ?

Beluuum dooong...saya aja masih semangat niiih :D...

Setelah puas berbiru biru ria di Masjid Sultan Ahmet alias Blue Mosque, kali ini saya mau mengajak teman-teman mengunjungi landmark yang tidak kalah bersejarahnya..

Hagia Sofia ..

Or some might know it as Aya Sofia, as it is originally named in Greek...

As majestic as ever...Hagia Sofia has historically passed those golden eras of the Turkey's history.. 

Sempet baca besutan Dan Brown, one of my favorite writers, yang terbaru, Inferno? 
Di situ, he intriguingly quoted that Hagia Sofia was indeed full of secrets :D...

Well....why not....
I love secrets ..

A view from the upper floor...can't stop admiring the ceilings and all the details..

When I first visited this place (click here), it was a long line of queue already.. 

Layaknya sebuah gedung bersejarah yang perlu benar-benar dijaga, memang jumlah pengunjung yg bisa berada di dalam pada saat bersamaan perlu dibatasi..

So on my next visit, I make sure that I get in the line early to avoid unnecessary lining up :D..

And I made it, yaaaay...

(tips: kalau sempat mengunjungi Istanbul dan ingin melihat bangunan-bangunan bersejarah ini, pastikan bangun pagi dan langsung antri tiket even sebelum counternya dibuka resmi pukul 9 waktu istanbul :D...otherwise, bisa 2 jam lebih antri dan menunggu giliran masuk :D...)

Setelah membayar tiket seharga 25 Turkish Lira atau 12.5 Euro, off I went in to this magnificent architecture..

Bagaimana tidak menakjubkan... Setelah ratusan tahun digunakan sebagai gereja, Hagia Sofia yang terletak persis di seberang Sultan Ahmet Mosque or si Masjid Biru, sempat dialihfungsikan sebagai masjid, lalu gereja lagi dan akhirnya kini berfungsi sebagai museum..

Sejak dibangun kembali pada masa Kekaisaran Justinian pada tahun 537M, Hagia Sofia berfungsi sebagai gereja dan menjadi pusat kegiatan Kristen Ortodoks di Turki hingga tahun 1453M. Coba...900 tahun lebih, sebelum kemudian berubah fungsi menjadi Masjid Agung di masa pemerintahan dinasti Ottomans selama 500 tahun. Dari situ saja saya membayangkan betapa luar biasanya kekayaan budaya dan religi Turki, khususnya Istanbul. 

Tidak heran juga jika Hagia Sofia terpilih sebagai World Heritage Site oleh Badan PBB UNESCO di tahun 1985. Dan memang, sejak tahun 1935, pemerintah Turki memutuskan untuk mengubah tempat penuh sejarah ini menjadi salah satu Museum Nasional, tepatnya di masa pemerintahan Ataturk. 

Ray of light..I was sooo luck I got to visit this magnificent building early in the morning...perfect time to see the ray of light coming out of its many windows...Subhanallah....

And Subhanallah..

I was once again struck by its divine beauty...

Tidak hanya arsitektur megah dan unik dari Hagia Sofia yang membuat saya terkagum-kagum, tapi juga all the details..
Yup, details yang begitu mempesona dan membuat saya sukses menganga (boleeh kaaan ;>D...)..

Rasanya, DSLR, iPhone, BB dan semua gadget yang saya bawa langsung beraksi merekam keindahan gedung ini..

Dengan warna kuning menyala, gedung megah ini terasa begitu luas dengan 40 jendela yang terletak di seputaran kubah tanpa terputus oleh pilar apapun dan atrium yang luaaaas ...

Ingatan saya langsung melayang di masa-masa keemasan ottoman..berapa ribu umat yang bisa ditampung dalam masjid agung ini...
Chanting ancient and sacred verses, only for you, Ya Rabb, The Almighty...

pilar megah yang menopang kubah cantik Hagia Sofia...

I started the journey in this magnificent building from the upper floor...

Naik ke atas, saya benar-benar kaguuum dengan details yang ada di dinding dan langit-langit...Warna kuning menyala dan biru serta merah benar-benar mendominasi..Cantik...

Noting that Hagia Sofia pernah berfungsi menjadi gereja kemudian masjid, tidak heran jika perpaduan antara simbol-simbol Kristen dan ayat-ayat suci Al-Quran juga kita dapati di berbagai bagian gedung. Sungguh perpaduan suci yang harmonis dan membuat Hagia Sofia menjadi super unik...

The main dome, seen from the upper part..I guess it was from the Empress Loge...

Beragam mosaik yang ada di Hagia Sofia berasal dari masa byzantium. Menggambarkan Yesus, Bunda Maria serta berbagai santo dan kaisar serta ratu di masa itu, these mosaics are distinctively beautiful. Banyak di antaranya yang sudah rusak dan terkelupas, namun dari karya seni yang tersisa, langsung terlihat ciri-ciri khas karya seni Byzantium seperti di bawah ini:

mosaics of Jesus in Hagia Sofia...

 More mosaics can also be seen here...

I guess this one is depicting Virgin Mary, baby Jesus, the Emperor and the Empress...

Terus terang, rasanya leher sampai capeeek banget celingak celinguk di Hagia Sofia :D>...
Karena keseringan mendongak ke atas untuk  foto dan mengagumi semua yang ada, saya sampai mengeluarkan neck-and-shoulder cream andalan :D...

And again, that's not for no reason..
The Dome is indeed the masterpiece...
The labour of love from those five-star artisans..My oooh my..

Berada persis di tengah-tengah, sang kubah sukses mencuri perhatian saya (dan pastinya ribuan orang yang juga mengunjungi tempat ini :D ). Karena speechless, lebih baik dinikmati via foto-foto ini yaaah :D....

The dome....incredible, isn't .....

under the chandelier....

thumbs-up for all the details....

Another beautiful feature here is the marble doors....

Words are not enough to express my admiration while strolling around this majestic building....

one side of the outer wall...we go past this part before entering the famous Hagia Sofia...pssst, di sisi kanan ada toko suvenirnya :D...

All in all, jika berkesempatan ke Turki, khususnya Istanbul...

jangan lupa mampir ke sini...

dan nikmati indahnya kebesaran-Nya melalui mahakarya para pendahulu-pendahulu kita...

Dan jangan lupa....Ceritanya belum selesai :D....masih ada Istana Topkapi, Basilica Cistern, dan tempat-tempat cantik lainnya menanti di Istanbul...

sabaar yaaaa..I'll be baaack....

Come and visit more articles on Istanbul here :

1. on Blue Mosque and more Blue Mosque :)

2. on Hagia Sofia

3. on Topkapi Palace

4. on Topkapi Palace - photo gallery

5. on Topkapi Palace - the Harem

6. on Basilica Cistern and some handy tips

7. on Istanbul at night