Topkapi Palace, Turkey -This striking palace sits high on a hill above the banks of the Bosphorus. Sultan Mehmed II commissioned it after his conquest of Constantinople and construction was started in 1460. It was the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire for more than 400 years. At one time this sprawling palace, that is now spread over 400,000 square metres, housed over 5,000 people. It also had a hospital, mosques, a mint, and treasury. The residential parts of the palace are opulent, decorated in luxurious fabrics, with colourful mosaic tiles, jewels, and gold carvings, and gilded walls that showcase the splendour of another era. |