Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, Turkiye

Continuing with my amazing spiritual experience in the Blue Mosque during Bayrum (Eid), I went to visit Topkapı Palace (pronounced Tope - Kah- Puh). I had no idea what was in store at this Palace-turned-museum, but after I left, I realized that there is no possible way an Eid could get any better than this. (Scroll to the bottom, after the pictures, for the full story.)

Above, the entrance to Topkapı Palace.

These double doors looked so historic. Taking an observation of the semi circles they open up from, I just imagined some antiquated methods of keeping buildings secure.

This was the ceiling of one of the rooms. Do you notice that large rope hanging? It was very decorative.

I am about to enter the central building from which the rest of Topkapı can be accessed.

There was a huge crowd the day I went. All I wanted was a peaceful Bayrum! But there were so many people, it was impossible to even breathe in a room without feeling threatened that someone would stumble over me.

Above, the center building.

Please take note of the intricate detailing of the tiles. These tulips are famous for being the Turkish style-- blue and purely floral in the manner in which they are drawn, curves and all.

Beyond these columns, you may note an entrance. There were three or four of these entrances around the museum, each equipped with open-plan rooms that stored Ottoman relics. In one, I saw one of the largest and most precious rings in the world, with 86 Karats. It was an incredible sight, although I do doubt whether it was the real one or not.

After having seen the thrones of past Ottoman rulers, jewelry and rubies from their reigns, and the clothing they wore, I proceeded outside and indulged in this beautiful view. From the museum, which is atop a hill, the Black Sea can be seen. 

In fact, Istanbul is in the center of three major bodies of water. Turkiye is entirely horizontal, and on the top Northwest corner lies Istanbul. Above all of Northern Turkiye is the Black Sea. Where Istanbul is, is where the Bosphorus Straight leads to the Sea of Marmara, which then connects to the Greek islands and Aegean Sea, which later expands into the entire Mediterranean Sea.

Headed downstairs, another building of Topkapı embodied a Romanesque architecture. Note the freeze along the top row of this structure, and the inverted columns framing each of the windows. Simply beautiful. 

Do you see the Black Sea?

We are leaving Topkapı.

Near the entrance of Topkapı, there was another smaller structure that housed a wudu area. This was a station that Muslims used for the ablution ritual prior to praying. It, too, was elaborately decorated with paints and detailed carving.

The entrance to one of the side buildings in Topkapı was grand. I am not too sure about what purpose this served, since there was no literature about it. I simply enjoyed the detailing and beauty.

Below:  A door and the ceiling.

Detail of the walls, below.

So, what exactly made the trip to Topkapı so special? It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be there on Eid and to look at so many historical relics...Did I mention that many of the prophets' cherished possessions are housed here? Yes, that is precisely what makes Topkapı an unforgettable experience. (Of course, no photography was allowed, so all of the following is based purely on memory...please do pardon the errors!)

After circling through room after room in this museum, half-expecting to see nothing important, I stumbled upon the Sword of David. This was the first jaw-dropping moment. I looked at it as if I could adore its duality of softness brought on by the fact that it was once held by a beloved Prophet paired simultaneously with the sharpness of the strength it must have required from the Prophet. 

Little did I know that that was just the beginning...I proceeded to the next exhibit, which was the bowl and cup of Abraham. Personally, Abraham holds a very dear spot in me. He is one of my most beloved Prophets because he is the origin, the commonality, and the vein of the three Abrahamic faiths--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I find it beautiful that we all share him. To see the modest means by which he lived, the simple clay potted bowl and cup he drank from, was very humbling. 

Next, I saw the turban of Yusuf. I could not help but recall that Yusuf was considered to be one of the most handsome men God has created, and to imagine that a piece of his garment was put on display hundreds of years later with the intent of being seen by thousands of tourists almost devalued it. I was just wishing that every other person in the room was appreciating it just as much as I.

One of the final sights in the room of prophetic remnants was the cane of Moses. I wish I could describe the feelings and thoughts that rushed in me upon seeing it. In all honesty, I began questioning whether all of these relics were real. Was I really seeing the piece of nature, the simple stick of wood that could have turned into a serpant? That could have parted the seas? Of course not. But you know what? Just the mere fact of knowing that I saw a cane, and that someone attributed it to Moses, was a sheer reminder that I do not think about the miracles of the Prophets in the respected manner that they should be revered. I began to place myself into the shoes of these wise, struggling men. I began empathizing with the constant tensions and tortures they must have endured to cure the backwards-mentalities of the people during their time. 

That I was amidst the air of ancient relics, I felt small. Indeed, I had experienced something only a very limited amount of people in the world get to experience, and for this, I was thankful. 

I walked through to the corridors of the following exhibits, encountering old pieces of the Kaaba. I saw the old locks, an old encasing of the Black Rock, and several gold-plated tunnels that carried the sewage (irony). I proceeded to another room that housed the swords of Abu Bakr and many, many other sahabas (friends of) the Prophet. Later, I saw Fatima's clothes and prayer rug. I also saw many small containers that housed the teeth and beard of the Prophet Muhammad himself. 

What better day to visit Topkapı than Bayrum? 

I started off the day praying at the Blue Mosque, reading Surah Ya Sin there, then paying a visit to Topkapı with the historical backgrounds of my faith. I was beginning to feel what it meant to be a part of the Monotheistic faiths--how I was connecting at a much deeper level with my fellow People of the Book just by having seen the Prophets' relics.

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu

Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion

or cultural system. I am not from the East

or the West, not out of the ocean or up

from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not

composed of elements at all. I do not exist,

am not an entity in this world or in the next,

did not descend from Adam and Eve or any

origin story. My place is placeless, a trace

of the traceless. Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved, have seen the two

worlds as one and that one call to and know,

first, last, outer, inner, only that

breath breathing human being.

-Rumi