ISTANBUL - An official opening ceremony was held at Istanbul's Topkapi Palace on Monday for Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Istanbul Cup 2007 tennis tournament.
Istanbul is a city of dreams. And this tournament contributes to promotion of this city and our country, stated Turkish Culture & Tourism Minister Atilla Koc during the ceremony.
On the other hand, world-famous tennis players, including Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva of Russia, Venus Williams of the USA, and Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, visited Harem at the Topkapi Palace.
Topkapi is the largest and oldest palace in the world to survive to our day. In 1924 it was turned into a museum at Ataturk's request. Situated on the acropolis, the site of the first settlement in Istanbul, it commands an impressive view of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. The palace is a complex surrounded by 5 km of walls and occupies an area of 700,000 sq. m at the tip of the historical peninsula.
Built in 1470's, Topkapi is a classical example of Turkish palace architecture. It consists of tree-shaded courtyards, each serving a different purpose and opening onto one another with monumental gates. The courtyards are surrounded by functional buildings. From the time of its construction, the palace developed constantly with alterations and additions made by each sultan. When the sultans moved to the ostentatious Dolmabahce Palace in 1853, Topkapi lost its importance as the official royal residence and was left to deteriorate.
Although it was the residence of the Sultan, the sole ruler of the empire, it was at the same time the center of the administrative affairs, the place where the council of ministers met, and the treasury, mint, and state archives were located there. The highest educational institution of the empire, the university of the sultan and the state was also here. Therefore it was the heart, the brain, the very center of the Ottoman Empire. Much later, the harem (private quarters) of the sultans was moved here too.
The harem was the private zone of the palace, where the mother and siblings of the sultan, and the other members of the family lived. The harem of Topkapi Palace consists of long narrow hallways and about 400 rooms scattered around small courtyards. It was altered and enlarged over the years.