Topkapı Palace

Topkapı Palace is a palace located in Constantinople, which used to be the official and primary residence in the city for the Ottoman Sultans. Approximately, the Sultans resided in the palace for around four centuries, from 1465 up until 1856, of their 624-year reign of the Ottoman Empire.

History

In the dwindling years of the Byzantine Empire, many of the Imperial palaces laid in ruins, shattered by centuries of fighting and economic collapse. Following the Ottoman conquest, Sultan Mehmed II envisioned a palace at a strategically secure spot atop First Hill, the very tip of the peninsula.

Construction on the Sultan's new palace, then called Yeni Saray (New Palace), began in 1459 and concluded nearly a decade later, although every subsequent Sultan would continue to add to the overall complex. However, towards the end of his reign, Bayezid II relocated his throne to the original Ottoman capital of Adrianople following an earthquake. Prince Ahmet ordered his confidante Hasan Pasha to recover a Memory Seal from the tunnels beneath the palace exposed by the tremor.

Suleiman and Ahmet during the palace banquet

In 1511, Shehzade Suleiman, Ahmet's nephew, became the target of a kidnapping plot orchestrated by Byzantine Templars while hosting a banquet at Topkapı Palace. Ahmet, the Grand Master of the Templars, hoped that if the abduction was successful, he could "rescue" Suleiman from the Byzantines and be heralded a hero, increasing his legitimacy as Bayezid's heir. However, the plan was foiled by a group of Ottoman Assassins led by Yusuf Tazim and the Italian Mentor Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who caught wind of the plot, infiltrated the banquet disguised as minstrels, and killed the Byzantine assailants.

After saving the young Shehzade's life, Ezio and Suleiman formally became acquainted with one another, and the latter requested Ezio's help to investigate Tarik Barleti, the captain of the Janissaries, whom Suleiman suspected to have been involved in the Templar conspiracy. Topkapı Palace became a regular rendezvous point for Ezio and Suleiman, where they would meet to discuss their investigation's progress.

For many centuries thereafter, the palace served as the centerpiece of the Sultan's power, and contained everything the Sultan needed to comfortably oversee the Empire. This included the Harem for raising and educating wives of future royalty, the Divan for the Sultan's meetings with the Sublime Porte, barracks for the Janissaries, and the Sultan's personal residence. During the 18th century, Jennifer Scott was sold to the Harem, before being transferred to Damascus to work as a servant once she grew too old.

Trivia

• As noted in the Database, Bayezid's absence was the reason why the Topkapı Palace was mostly devoid of guards during Ezio's stay in Constantinople, despite being a restricted area.
• The use of the name "Topkapı" in the course of Assassin's Creed: Revelations is anachronistic; it did not earn this name until the 19th century. In 1511, it would have been called "New Palace" (or "Yeni Sarayı" in Turkish).

Gallery

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  Concept art of a party at the palace
• 
  Topkapı and the surrounding area
• 
  Topkapı's main courtyard during the day
• 
  The main courtyard at night

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Revelations (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Recollection
• Assassin's Creed: Forsaken