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Resting on a peninsular hilltop in Istanbul with sweeping views of the Golden Horn, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus strait, the grand Topkapı Sarayı was once the exalted seat of the Ottoman sultans. The palatial structure was built at the behest of Sultan Mehmet II in 1453, in the wake of the Conquest of Constantinople. From the 15th to the 19th Century, the palace was the cornerstone of the Ottoman Empire, until its gradual decline in the later years, when its power was relinquished to the newer Dolmabahce Palace on the Turkish waterfront. As is the case with any palatial residence, the Topkapi also underwent a slew of additions and renovations as various sultans reigned over the city over a 400-year-old span, but the core architectural form of the palace remained predominantly Middle Eastern. When the sun set on the Ottoman Empire in 1923, the palace was promptly converted into a museum by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The essence of this bygone empire still lingers in various corners of the palace's chambers, its treasury, and its imperial harems. Several items from the peak of the Ottoman Empire adorn the museum today, from illuminated manuscripts and age-old weaponry, to diamonds and intricate miniatures. The Topkapı Sarayı Museum is part of the Historic Areas of Istanbul.
