Topkapi Palace

Near our hostel is the Topkapi Palace. I had not heard of it before but it is apparently quite famous and was very impressive.

On display were some Talisman Shirts which were supposed to protect the wearer. What is neat is that these shirts are completely covered in delicate caligraphy presumably quoting religion or magic to make this shield.

Within the treasure rooms there were the biggest and the most emeralds I have ever seen. There was one large Emerald throne from India which was encrusted with 25,000 pearls!

One strange surprise was to find the actual arm and skull of St. John the baptist on display.

There was also a huge 86 carat diamond on display... Pretty big!

There was an Islamic area as well in the Palace. I did not know much about the palace at all - so imagine my surprise when we encoutered Mohammed the Prophet's shoes, sword, teeth, foot prints, tomb dust, hair, letter to the Copts on display!

Finally the last part of the palace was the Harem. I expected the Harem to be quite luxurious but it was pretty cold and barren. Two things from the Harem visit stood out: 1. There was between 300 and 500 women there (I expected maybe... 20!) and 2. They had a small pool where dwarves would engage in mock battles on small boats.