Topkapı Palace

Timeline

1. c. 1470–1480Sarayburnu · IstanbulAfter conquering Constantinople in the 1460s, Mehmed II built a new palace on Sarayburnu, replacing the old palace and forming the First Court and the embryo of the Imperial Council chamber, establishing the model of the sultan residing outside the city.
2. c. 1520–1566Topkapı Palace · IstanbulDuring Suleiman's reign, architects including Sinan oversaw expansion; the Fourth Court, treasury, and imperial garden were completed, the inner court and state chambers were clearly divided, and Topkapı became the symbol of power at the empire's zenith.
3. c. 1570–1590Topkapı inner court · IstanbulFrom Selim II to Murad III, the political influence of the inner court and harem rose; the palace became the stage for rivalry between the sultan's mother and the grand vizier, and architectural and ceremonial spaces further adapted to the harem's participation in politics.
4. 1591–1600Topkapı Palace · IstanbulDuring the Long Turkish War of the 1590s, Topkapı remained the center of imperial affairs, audiences for diplomatic envoys, and coronation ceremonies; by around 1600 the palace's scale and functional layout had approached the basic form it retained for the next two centuries.