Istanbul Guide

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Fourth Court Pleasure pavilions occupy the palace’s Fourth Court, also known as the Tulip Garden. These include the Mecidiye Kiosk , which was built by Abdül Mecit (r 1839–61) according to 19th-century European models. Beneath this is the Konyal ı restaurant, which offers wonderful views from its terrace but is let down by the quality and price of its food; a çay will set you back ₺ 7, and a slice of gateau ₺ 22. Up steps from the Mecidiye Kiosk is the Head Physician’s Pavilion . Inter estingly, the head physician was always one of the sultan’s Jewish subjects. On this terrace you will also find the late-17th-century Kiosk of Kara Mustafa Pasha (Sofa Kö ş kü), with its gilded ceiling, painted walls and delicate stained glass windows. During the reign of Ahmet III, the Tulip Garden outside the kiosk was filled with the latest varieties of the flower. Up the stairs at the end of the Tulip Garden is the Marble Terrace , a platform with a decorative pool, three pavilions and the whimsical İ ftariye Kameriyesi , a small structure commissioned by İ brahim I in 1640 as a picturesque place to break the fast of Ramazan. Murat IV built the Revan Kiosk in 1636 after reclaiming the city of Yerevan (now in Armenia) from Persia. The kiosk was also known as the Chamber of Turbans (Sar ı k Odas ı ) because the sultans’ turbans were kept there. In 1639 Murat IV constructed the Baghdad Kiosk , one of the last examples of classi cal palace architecture, to commemorate his victory over that city. Notice its superb İ znik tiles, painted ceiling and mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell inlay. The small Circumcision Room (Sünnet Odas ı ) was used for the ritual that admits Muslim boys to manhood. Built by İ brahim in 1640, the outer walls of the chamber are graced by particularly beautiful tile panels.

SULTANAHMET & AROUND TOPKAPI PALACE