Istanbul — Touring Topkapi; The Palace Harem

Today we’ll attempt to get past the imperial eunuch guards and sneak into Imperial Harem in Topkapi Palace. Housed within this 400-room complex were the Valide Sultan (sultan’s mother), wives, concubines (like a wife, only with lower upfront costs and much cheaper monthly payments), as well as their servants. In charge of both the administration and guarding of the harem were the Imperial Harem’s famous black eunuchs. And overseeing the black eunuchs was the chief eunich — the kizlar agha (agha of the house of felicity).

So, let’s begin the tour with what you’ll see in the order in which you will see it, beginning with the dormatory:

Moving beyond the dormatory you’ll arrive at the courtyard of the Zuluflu Baltacilar, home to the harem guards:

Next up, the Courtyard of the Black Eunuchs:

That’s it for today.

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)