Opening the Doors to Forbidden Topkapi

By Arnie Greenberg

For me it was one of the great wonders of Istanbul, and I couldn't wait to see it.

Perhaps it was the great secrecy attached to the magnificent palace and royal harem. Everything until now was hearsay.

Now I would see it for myself. I would walk in the gardens I had dreamt about years ago, when I sat glued to my seat during a performance of Mozart's eighteenth-century opera, The Abduction from The Seraglio.

Now I would walk through the forbidden rooms of Pasha Selim III, who lived until 1807.

I would see the elaborate wooden paneling of Sultan Ahmed III's fascinating Fruit Room with its compositions of fruit and flowers.

It was only in the 20th century that detailed studies of the buildings and apartments of the harem and the women, princesses and princes were made. Now it is open for all to see.

Now we could walk through the kitchen, food cellar, sick rooms and the dormitories of the maid-servants and eunuchs.

Expanded in the 16th century, the new buildings contained bedrooms for serving women and apartments for the sultan's wives.

It's eerie to walk through forbidden areas of the great palace, and it's awesome to know that the great fire of 1665 destroyed much of the palace, including the palace of justice, council of state, treasury and most of the harem. There is a theory that the fire was started by a servant.

Sultan Mehmed IV had the harem rebuilt, but from then on the Topkapi Palace did not regain its importance. It became the center of activity only after Ahmed III ruled from 1703-1730. This was known as the Tulip Era and was greatly influenced by European Baroque architecture.

Now the theme was fruit and flowers. Women of the time were given the names of beautiful and graceful fruit and flowers. Hence, Ruby Rose, Shy Rose lived within walls painted with delicate colors, schemes and romantic light motifs.

Harems were hardly places imagined by Europeans. They were dedicated to seclusion and the privacy of family life. The maidservants taught family members household skills.

After a number of years, they were allowed to marry. Few were awarded the honor of serving the Sultan's table. Fewer ever became royal wives.

After nine years of service, the harem girls were rewarded with a trousseau, and suitable husbands were found. These women, known for their good breeding, never revealed intimate details about the royal family to outsiders.

History often distorts the truth. We seek the stories that fire our imagination. Harems were part of culture long gone. We create our own myths, and they are often far from the truth.

We will never know for sure what went on in the Sultan's harems, but a visit to the magnificent building today allows us to dream of days gone by when ladies walked in the secret garden of the beautiful imperial residence, the Topkapi Palace.

Completed as early as 1470, the structure still beckons. It is worth the visit, as it sits high on a promontory between the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn on the first of the seven hills of Istanbul.

Today what remains are the remains of a building that dominates a great city. Still, it is an incomparable museum of Ottoman wealth, a feast for the eyes.

The movie Topkapi tells us nothing to solve the mysteries, except that the treasury was filled with great jewels and relics of a once-proud empire.

The Abduction from The Seraglio (Sarayi) tells us only that not all the women in the harem were content. Love is powerful and, even in captivity, we dream our impossible dreams.

Mozart wrote, Pasha Salim may he prosper…
…honour be unto his name…
and his noble virtues fame…

I walk through the garden. I am alone with my memories. Only the trees recognize the tune I hum. Below in a city of millions, people go about their business. They know that Topkapi looks down on them, but today this bustling city is occupied with other thoughts.

Not that history can be forgotten, especially in a city where history rules.

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