Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Imperial Treasury
Located on the eastern edge of the Third Court, Topkapı's Treasury features an incredible
collection of objects made from or decorated with gold, silver, rubies, emeralds, jade,
pearls and diamonds. The building itself was constructed during Mehmet the Conqueror's
reign in 1460 and was used originally as reception rooms.
In the first room, look for the jewel-encrusted Sword of Süleyman the Magnificent and
the Throne of Ahmet I, which is inlaid with mother-of-pearl and was designed by Sedef-
har Mehmet Ağa, architect of the Blue Mosque. In the second room, the tiny Indian fig-
ures, mainly made from seed pearls, are well worth seeking out. After passing through the
third room and admiring the 16th-century gold-plated Ottoman helmet encrusted with tur-
quoises, rubies and emeralds, you will come to a fourth room and the Treasury's most
famous exhibit: the
Topkapı Dagger
. The object of the criminal heist in Jules Dassin's
1964 film
Topkapi
, the dagger features three enormous emeralds on the hilt and a watch
set into the pommel. Also here is the
Kasıkçı (Spoonmaker's) Diamond
, a teardrop-
shaped 86-carat rock surrounded by dozens of smaller stones. First worn by Mehmet IV at
his accession to the throne in 1648, it's one of the largest diamonds in the world.
Before leaving the Treasury, be sure to admire the
view of the Bosphorus
from its ter-
race.
