Outside the Hagia Irene in the Topkapi Palace Museum Grounds
The Topkapi Palace Museum is part of a collection of important monuments that have been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is part of the cluster which includes the Hagia Sophia and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. I also expect that the Topkapi Palace Museum would be the largest place I would visit for the day. It was hot and I was exhausted just from walking around in the heat. I think the Topkapi Palace would be a refreshing change since this seems to be more like a park. I can already see that there are a lot of trees here so I think it would much more pleasant. As you might expect, there were a lot of people here, including tour groups.
Gate of the Topkapi Palace Museum
Looking at the palace grounds, it definitely feels like a park. The palace grounds are enclosed by stone walls and inside is more like a garden. There are several buildings in the palace grounds and it is nice to walk around here. One of the more significant structures here is the Hagia Irene. I was actually surprised to see a church inside the palace grounds. Hagia Irene is actually the oldest church in Istanbul. It is significant because it was the only one which was never converted into a mosque. However after the fall of Constantinople, it was incorporated into the new palace grounds and then used as an arsenal. These days it is used as a concert hall. There are also mosaic inside but I wasn’t able to get in. There was a line outside the Hagia Irene to enter it but before purchasing, we were told that we won’t be able to see ninety percent of the inside, presumably because of ongoing renovations. It is a pity but I think I would have to pass on that since it would be a waste of money if I can only see ten percent of what I paid for. I think they should just close it for visits so they can renovate it faster.
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