Old Palace
Istanbul, Turkey
No longer standing
Demolished or destroyed.
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The Old Palace (Eski Saray), located in the Beyazıt neighborhood of Istanbul between the Süleymaniye and Bayezid II Mosques, was an early Ottoman palatial complex begun shortly after the 1453 conquest of Constantinople and substantially completed by 1458. Built in Ottoman architectural style on the site of a former church, the palace was enclosed by a massive rectangular wall faced with blue lead covering approximately 9 kilometres in perimeter. The sprawling compound housed mansions, administrative chambers including the Imperial Council and throne room, the imperial harem, and hunting grounds. After Topkapi Palace's completion in 1481, the Old Palace became the residence of the imperial women—a role formalized by Mehmed II's decree forbidding women from the seat of government administration. Following a fire in 1541, Hurrem Sultan, wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, relocated the entire imperial harem to Topkapi Palace, a decision that precipitated the Old Palace's decline in significance. The building was eventually destroyed.
Movement
- Type
- palace, destroyed building or structure
- Place
- Istanbul, Turkey
This building on
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Location