The Architecture of Change

Topkapi Palace and Dolmabahce Palace depict two strikingly different periods of the Ottoman Empire. Topkapi Palace, built by Mehmet the Conqueror shortly after his conquest in 1453, it provides a classic example of Ottoman period architecture styles. Four Courts grace the palace grounds, each serving a different purpose. The first court, also known as the Court of the Janissaries, gave the janissaries, merchants and tradesmen circulate as they wished. The second court was more restricted, and was where the day to day business took place. Unlike many of the later palaces, such as Dolmabahce, modeled after the European palaces, consisting of one large building with surrounding gardens, Topkapi is very open, almost like a quiet park, surrounded by a series of buildings that served as kitchens, barracks, audience chambers, and sleeping quarters. The Gate of Felicity leads directly into the third court, where the sultan’s private affairs took place. In this way he was able to maintain much of the mystique surrounding the imperial family, appearing in public very seldom. Buildings within the third court include the Audience Chamber, the Library of Ahmet III, the Imperial Treasury, the

Sacred Safekeeping Rooms, as well as the Mosque of the Eunuchs. The fourth court, which was the latest addition to Topkapi, built by Abdul Mecit according to the 19th-century European models is the final section of the palace. Two of the most beautiful buildings on the palace grounds

lie within the fourth court: the Revan Kiosk and the Baghdad Kiosk, which was built to commemorate Murat IV’s victory over Baghdad. Everything about Topkapi is quite extravagant and in some ways significantly more Eastern, resembling Heian-Period palace architecture in Japan, with its numerous buildings and gardens.

In 1843, the royal family commissioned construction on an Ottoman-European palace, leaving behind the traditional Ottoman palace architecture. The palace faces the gardens rather than the Bosphorus which lies directly next to it. The designer of the Paris Opera was brought in to do the interiors, which is quite obvious through the extravagant and European feel. As I approached the Palace it reminded me of the Palace of

Versailles. I think this stark contrast in architecture styles is extremely representative of what was going on in the country itself during this time period. As the Ottoman Empire began to embrace the Western-inspired reforms taking place in the country, many of the pro-Islamic conservatives rejected these changes. Edmondo de Amicis describes the Turkish people in 1878 as a “people in the crisis of transformation.” (Pope 29) As de Amicis describes the new Turk that has embraced the Western influences the old Turk abhors. Rather than developing into a vibrant force throughout the Empire, it seemed to work against the Ottoman state. It was no longer representing each portion of the empire. As early as 1631, the Ottoman imperial advisor made note that the sultans had begun to withdraw from “direct contact with public affairs.” (Pope 29) By 1789, the Ottoman rulers had begun to look at European models in an attempt to strengthen the state. These Western reforms resulted in the abandonment of the turban for the fez, the organization of the civil service along Western lines, and the introduction of schools and printing presses (Pope 31). By 1839, the Ottoman state had gone so far as to decree a grand reorganization that promised a number of Western ideals, including equality. However, as these ideas spread throughout the country and rebellions increased, the Ottoman state attempted to unite the residents through Pan-Islamic views, pushing these Western ideas underground. My point being through all of this rambling is that these two Palaces truly demonstrate the cultural changes that were occurring throughout this period. As the Ottoman rulers sought to connect with and learn from Western countries in terms of how to strengthen the state, Western styles slowly began to influence every aspect of the state. Once the borders are opened to a country it becomes difficult to travel backwards at any point, even once those ideas threaten the very individuals that introduced them.