![]() It was the first monumental church of Constantinople erected after Hagia Sophia, which had been built over three hundred years earlier. the New Church - was built by Basil I in the second half of the 9th century. One of the most famous churches of the palace complex - Nea Ekklesia, i.e. There were also many chapels and churches, a treasury, cloakrooms and stables in the complex, and at the back of the palace the emperors had their own equestrian stadium to play polo - Tzykanisterion. The next buildings were the seat of the imperial family, along with the famous Porphyry Chamber - the birthing room of the empresses. There was a direct passage from the Daphne Palace to the Imperial Box at the Hippodrome. the meeting place of dignitaries and senators. It also housed a banquet hall called the Room of Nineteen Couches and the Consistorium, i.e. The barracks of the palace guards were located right next to the Chalke Gate.Īnother building of the palace complex was the Daphne Palace, in which there was another throne room - Chrysotriklinos - built by Justin II, serving as a coronation hall. This structure, on the plan of a three-nave basilica, was also used as a throne room and a place for receiving foreign diplomatic missions. Researchers believe that the Magnaura building was the seat of the senate. Right behind this gate stood an edifice known as Magnaura, most likely from the Latin words Magna Aula meaning the Great Hall. Several gates led to the area of the palace, the most important of which was called the Chalke (Bronze) Gate, located in the vicinity of Hagia Sophia. The plans of this palatial complex have not survived, and the researchers have recreated its appearance and the location of individual buildings on the basis of documents describing the imperial ceremonies. This location necessitated the construction of large substructures and vaults that supported six terraces of the complex. It occupied an area of about 19,000 square meters on a steeply sloping hillside, descending 33 metres from the Hippodrome to the shoreline. The Great Palace was not one gigantic structure, but a huge complex of buildings with various functions, just like the much later Ottoman Topkapı Palace. ![]() The expansion of the palace complex was made by the emperors Justinian II and Basil I, but in the 10th century the palace needed a thorough renovation, which was carried out by Constantine VII. ![]() On the south side, the Bukoleon Palace was connected to the Grand Palace complex. It had an excellent location, adjacent to the Hippodrome of Constantinople and the Church of the Holy Wisdom, i.e. Soon the palace was rebuilt at the behest of Emperor Justinian I. The palace complex, extended many times, was severely damaged during the Constantinople uprising known as the Nika riots, which lasted from the 13th to the 18th of January 532. This palace was built during the times of Emperor Constantine, who transferred the capital of the Roman Empire to the city of Byzantium, renamed to Constantinople in honour of this ruler. The Mosaic Museum is one of the few remains of the Grand Palace of the Eastern Roman Emperors, known as the Holy Palace, which occupied a vast space in the southeastern area of the peninsula in the central part of Constantinople, by the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus. Situated right next to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque, this museum attracts only a few tourists who will find their way through the souvenir stands of Arasta Bazaar. As stated, Topkapı Palace ( Topkapı Sarayı) is a huge palatial complex consisting of hundreds of rooms/spaces and a great portion of them is decorated with Turkish mosaic tiles ( çini).This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Istanbul: "Byzantine Secrets of Istanbul".Īmong the many historical attractions of Istanbul, the Mosaic Museum of the Grand Palace of Constantinople is distinguished not only by its wonderfully preserved relics of the former capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, but also by its surprisingly low popularity among tourists. Compared to the Seljuqs, the Ottomans used Turkish mosaic tiles ( çini) more and mosaic tiles in Topkapı Palace that was built in the mid-fifteenth century justify this. Çini (Turkish mosaic tile) is a highly-decorated ceramic handcraft and its history goes back to the tenth century CE, Kara-Khanid-Khanate. Usage of çini became much more popular during the Suljuqs and Ottomans that were Turko-Islamic empires just like Kara-Khanid-Khanate. Our knowledge regarding the Turkish mosaic tiles of the Topkapı Palace is much less compared to its history and architecture, nevertheless this post attempts to give a background information regarding the Turkish mosaic tiles ( çini) of the Topkapı Palace. Although the palace expanded sultan by sultan and family by family, there was one decorative element that remained unchanged and everyone followed: Turkish mosaic tiles ( çini) decorating the walls.
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