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Saturday, May 20 Istanbul |
Visited the Suleymaniye Mosque Complex and the Topkapi Palace. Free time in afternoon to finalize purchases to take home. Our goodby dinner was held in a lovely restaurant across from the Suleymaniye Complex. At that time each of the group members was awarded a certificate of participation in the trip and Vedat (guide) and Salome (bus driver) were presented with a Turkey 2000 t-shirt (along with a nice tip!!). |
Topkapi Palace was the residence of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th till the 19th century. The palace was also the seat of administration of the Ottoman Empire as well as a center of arts and education. Collections of jewelry, porcelain, textiles, books, miniature paintings and many other objects of art formerly belonging to the sultans are on exhibit. Originally a Turkish tribe from Central Asia, the Ottomans captured Constantinople in 1453 and put an end to the Byzantine Empire. At the height of its power in the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire ruled over such vast territories from Vienna to the Indian Ocean and from Algiers to the Caspian Sea. The buildings, gardens, courtyards and the exhibitions display the lavish lifestyle of the Ottoman sultans.
Kate poses here in a reception area of the restaurant in Topkapi where we had lunch.
