Private tours Istanbul have a bag full of stories; Once upon a time, there were many characteristic sultans of the Ottoman Empire, each with their own story; a former concubine who managed to become the powerful consort of Suleyman the Magnificent – the beautiful Roxelana; many other girls slaves taught the arts of make-up, dress, music, dancing, reading and writing, etc. to become part of the Harem later; janissaries; a palette of sad, mad, bad, happy stories…
All of these can be named with two words only – Topkapi Palace!
Mehmet II conquered the city
2140 years after the foundation of today’s Istanbul; a young sultan at the age of twenty-three – Mehmet II conquered the city. Named ‘the Conqueror’, due to his victory, 9 years after it, Sultan Mehmet started building his palace over the ruins of Constantinople’s Acropolis.The result was Topkapi Palace. The place especially has been chosen by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. He started to call himself, ‘I am the Sultan of the lands and the seas.’ This is the point that you are closest to two continents and to seas.