page_title: Topkapı Palace
section_title: Imperial Hall
hierarchical_section_title: Topkapı Palace / Harem / Imperial Hall
caption_attribution_description: English: Dome of the Imperial Hall in Harem of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey Русский: Купол Тронного зала в Гареме дворца Топкапы в Стамбуле, Турция
context_page_description: The Topkapı Palace, or the Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. In the 15th and 16th centuries it served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans.
  Construction, ordered by the Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, began in 1459, six years after the conquest of Constantinople. Topkapı was originally called the "New Palace" to distinguish it from the Old Palace in Beyazıt Square. It was given the name Topkapı, meaning Cannon Gate, in the 19th century. The complex expanded over the centuries, with major renovations after the 1509 earthquake and the 1665 fire. The palace complex consists of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. Female members of the Sultan's family lived in the harem, and leading state officials, including the Grand Vizier, held meetings in the Imperial Council building.
  After the 17th century, Topkapı gradually lost its importance. The sultans of that period preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosphorus. In 1856 Sultan Abdulmejid I decided to move the court to the newly built Dolmabahçe Palace.
context_section_description: The Imperial Hall (Hünkâr Sofası), also known as the Imperial Sofa, Throne Room Within or Hall of Diversions, is a domed hall in the Harem, believed to have been built in the late 16th century. It has the largest dome in the palace. The hall served as the official reception hall of the sultan as well as for the entertainment of the Harem. Here the sultan received his confidants, guests, his mother, his first wife (Hasseki), consorts, and his children. Entertainments, paying of homage during religious festivals, and wedding ceremonies took place here in the presence of the members of the dynasty.
  After the Great Harem Fire of 1666, the hall was renovated in the rococo style during the reign of Sultan Osman III. The tile belt surrounding the walls bearing calligraphic inscriptions were revetted with 18th-century blue-and-white Delftware and mirrors of Venetian glass. But the domed arch and pendantives still bear classical paintings dating from the original construction.
  In the hall stands the sultan's throne. The gallery was occupied by the consorts of the sultan, headed by the Queen Mother. The gilded chairs are a present of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, while the clocks are a gift of Queen Victoria. A pantry, where musical instruments are exhibited, opens to the Imperial Hall, which provides access into the sultan's private apartments.
  A secret door behind a mirror allowed the sultan a safe passage. One door admits to the Queen Mother's apartments, another to the sultan's hammam. The opposite doors lead to the small dining chamber (rebuilt by Ahmed III) and the great bedchamber, while the other admits to a series of ante-chambers, including the room with the fountain (Çeşmeli Sofa), which were all retiled and redecorated in the 17th century.
caption: Dome ceiling of the Imperial Hall
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "7952", "Image ImageLength": "5304", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image Make": "SONY", "Image Model": "ILCE-7RM3", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 (Windows)", "Image DateTime": "2020:06:26 02:23:25", "Image Artist": "A.Savin", "Image Copyright": "A.Savin, http://WikiPhoto.Space", "Image ExifOffset": "352", "GPS GPSVersionID": "[2, 3, 0, 0]", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[41, 8086333/10000000, 0]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "E", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[28, 590050667/10000000, 0]", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[8, 35, 9]", "GPS GPSStatus": "A", "GPS GPSMeasureMode": "2", "GPS GPSMapDatum": "WGS-84", "GPS GPSDate": "2020:02:08", "GPS GPSDifferential": "0", "Image GPSInfo": "1040", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1366", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7959", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/10", "EXIF FNumber": "4", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "50", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "50", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0231", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2020:02:08 11:35:46", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2020:02:08 11:35:46", "EXIF OffsetTime": "+02:00", "EXIF OffsetTimeOriginal": "+03:00", "EXIF OffsetTimeDigitized": "+03:00", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "415241/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "4", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "737/1280", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "4", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "18", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "7223", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "4815", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "35462067/16384", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "35462067/16384", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "3", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "18", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[12, 24, 4, 4]", "EXIF LensModel": "FE 12-24mm F4 G"}