Restorations at Topkapı continue

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

This photo shows the completely restored weapons section at Topkapı Palace.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has restored many parts of Istanbul’s historic Topkapı Palace recently, with the Baghdad Mansion, the Fig Gardens, the Revan Mansion, the Sofa Mansion, the Sofa Mosque, the Lala Garden, the kitchens and the gun section having been renewed in recent years.

The palace is still undergoing restoration. According to information taken from the ministry’s General Directorate of Museums, the ministry is starting a new series of restorations, in addition to the restoration projects conducted in many of the historical areas of Istanbul in 2011 by the ministry.

The restoration works’ general directorate has realized the new restoration project with a budget provided from the 2010 Istanbul Cultural Capital and Istanbul Special Provincial Directorate.

Within this project, restoration will continue at Topkapı Palace, which is one of the most important monuments of the Ottoman Empire, serving as the center of management of the empire for 380 years.

The palace’s Baghdad Mansion, which was built for the conquest of Baghdad during the reign of Sultan Murad IV, the Revan Mansion, which was built for the conquest of Yerevan in 1653 also by Murad, and the Sofa Mansion and Sofa Mosque, built for the event of Mustafa Pasha’s ascending to the position of Grand Vizier in the 17th century, are being restored. The kitchens and the east façade of the palace are also being worked upon. These restoration projects are still being carried out.

On the other hand, the renovation of the weapons section of the palace is now complete. The renovations will provide a chance for visitors to better imagine the past, thanks to the use of the latest technology.