Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Sultanahmet
Mehmet the Conqueror built the first stage of the palace shortly after the Conquest in
1453, and lived here until his death in 1481. Subsequent sultans lived in this rarefied en-
vironment until the 19th century, when they moved to ostentatious European-style palaces
such as Dolmabahçe, Çırağan and Yıldız that they built on the shores of the Bosphorus.
Buy your tickets to the palace at the main ticket office just outside the gate to the Se-
cond Court. Guides for the palace congregate next to the main ticket office. A one-hour
tour costs a hefty €100 per small group, so many visitors choose instead to hire an audio
guide with rudimentary commentary about the palace for 10. These are available at the
audio booth just inside the turnstile entrance to the Second Court.
First Court
at the ornate structure in the cobbled square just outside. This is the rococo-style
Foun-
tain of Sultan Ahmet III
, built in 1728 by the sultan who so favoured tulips. As you
pass through the Imperial Gate, you enter the First Court, known as the Court of the Janis-
saries or the Parade Court. On your left is the Byzantine church of Hagia Eirene, more