The Topkapi Palace was the home of all of the sultans of the Ottoman empire for over 400 years. Initially named the New Palace, it was build in place of the Old Palace because it was located in a more strategic area. When constructed, it had Koranic inscriptions and Koranic tiling, reflecting the Ottoman empire's culture at the time. Over the years as it grew older and was affected by natural disasters, the sultans made improvements. Each improvement signified the changing times, and more often, elements from other cultures began to find their way into the architecture of the royal palace. In addition to the fusion of cultures represented by the architecture, the Topkapi Palace reveals a lot about the way the Ottoman governed. In the palace, government officials would lay out the law for everyday life. But the city of the palace way completely sealed off to outsiders of lower class. Essentially, the Ottoman made their decisions completely secluded without commoner's influence on the law. This suggests that the high class of the Ottoman, the ones with power, was very specifically defined and operated differently than the normals lives of citizens. Also, during Suleyman's rule, the structure was improved much more than any other time in its history. I think this massive renovation reflects the Ottoman's growing power under a strong ruler like Suleyman. If they have power over other nations, why not show it in the empire's central building? When the main palace and the court was moved in 1853, Topkapi Palace was still kept so as to showcase one of the still important structures in the history of the empire. In this way, the Ottoman sought to preserve their own culture by keeping this building alive.
I agree with Nicole that the beautifully adorned palace was a symbol of power to other nations. She said that visiting ambassadors would be able to tell how wealthy the Ottoman were and what kind of place they had in relationship to other empires. Eugene also agrees that the diversity within the structure itself says a lot about the cultural diversity in the empire.
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