A family trip to Topkapi Palace, the Imperial Residence of the Ottoman Empire

#familytravel Istanbul is one of the most important cultural centre in Turkey considering the age of the city and the historical significance. During our trip to Istanbul, we visited the Topkapi Palace, which serves as the Imperial Residence of the Sultan on the era of Ottoman Empire. It was built by the order of Sultan Mehmed Fatih in 1459, until 1860 when the Sultans shifted its residence to Dolmabache Palace. At the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, the government released a decree to transform the palace to a museum. There are a total of four courtyards and a harem which serves different purposes, in which the second courtyard has a vast collections of treasures from China, Japan etc. The Imperial Council Building is also located in the second courtyard. The third courtyard houses the Harem which is also the forbidden area. It is one of the most important cultural Relic and one must visit when traveling to Istanbul.