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Current view of the Harem building that can be visited as part of the Topkapı museum

Photograph of the Babı Hümayun, or Imperial Gate, located in the first courtyard of the Topkapı Palace.

First courtyard in Topkapı, the only area that was open to the public. Sultans walked through it on their way to Friday prayers and other ceremonies. It was also used as waiting area for important political events such as the reception of foreign…

minarets

Façade of Dolmabahçe Palace, first European-style palace in Istanbul, and which replaced the Topkapı as the main sultan residence and administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 until 1922.