TREASURES OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE.

AuthorEPSTEIN, MARK

Rare art and artifacts from the royal home of the Ottoman sultans are dazzling to behold.

THE MAJESTIC Topkapi Palace, a seaside complex of buildings with extraordinary views of Asia and Europe, was constructed in the 15th century by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in the new Ottoman capital of Istanbul, formerly the Byzantine capital of Constantinople. For 400 years, the palace remained the center of one of the most powerful and sophisticated empires in the world. At its height, the Ottoman Empire ruled the Balkans from Greece to the Austrian frontier, the Arab East, North Africa, Crimea, Hungary, and, at times, parts of Italy, Poland, and Ukraine.

The Topkapi Palace was the primary residence of the sultans until the mid 19th century and was the center of the vast Ottoman Empire's administrative, military, educational, and arts activities. Thousands of people of many different ethnic backgrounds and religions from the far corners of the Empire lived and worked there, creating a culturally dynamic atmosphere. The palace employed the most talented artists and craftsmen, whose work in diverse aesthetic styles and materials led to the creation of Ottoman imperial objects of the highest quality.

A touring exhibition, "Palace of Gold & Light: Treasures from the Topkapi, Istanbul," includes more than 200 objects, primarily from the Topkapi Palace Museum. These objects represent the extraordinary artistic achievements and blending of cultural aesthetics that occurred during the Ottoman Empire. The exhibition explores the powerful roles of the sultan in Ottoman society as absolute monarch, supreme religious leader, military strategist, and royal patron of art and education.

Featured is the Topkapi dagger, made famous by the popular 1964 film, "Topkapi." Originally crafted before 1747 as a gift from the Sultan to the Iranian Nadir Shah, the dagger never reached its intended recipient, who was killed in an uprising before the Ottoman emissary crossed the border into Iran. The dagger, which was returned to the Topkapi treasury and has remained there ever since, features three unusually large emeralds in its handle, with an eight-sided emerald cover at its top concealing a small watch. Along both sides of the handle are rows of diamonds, and the back of the handle is covered in mother-of-pearl and enamel.

Also on view is one of the palace's great treasures, a 16th-century ebony and ivory throne, thought to be used by Sultan Suleyman I (reigned 1520-66) on...

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