HISTORY OF PRECINCTS
ALAY
To the left rise the walls of Topkapi Palace and in an
angle we find a small domed building remarkable for its
architecture, called the Alay Kosku and belonging to the
Palace itself. The Sultans came here, to this private
pavilion, to attend the various ceremonies, parades and
demonstrations organised on public holidays; there is
a sloping road behind the pavillion which makes access
to it easily. The mantle facade, the unusual sliced effect
of the dome, the gilded bars at the windows, make of this
pavillion a little work of art; it was built originally
during the reign of the Sultan Fatih Mehmet, but the latest
modifications to it date from 1819.
This building of the ancient Palace Topkapi, the only
one situated on a public thoroughfare, has seen the most
colourful military reviews of the pass parading below
its windows. When the army was due to leave for a campaign,
all the trade colorations, whether attached to the army
or not-artisans, grocers, ironmongers, armourers, horse-doctor,
vets, physicians, pastry-cooks, chefs, tailors, carpenters,
and workmen's associations, preceded by musicians and
professional dancers and merchants all in a great hurry,
clinging to the vehicles and miming the motions of their
craft or trade, passed continuously beneath the windows
of this historic pavillion. It is amazing, the very stuff
of dreams, to think of all the life that has passed before
the gilded windows of this fine kiosk, today, virtually
abandoned, in an isolated corner of the ancient capital.
SUBLIME
PORTE
The Monumental Gate opposite the Alay Kosku is no other
than the Sublime Porte, which included within its administrative
precincts the Goverment Departments of the Osmanli State.
The building behind the Sublime Porte, somewhat on an
eminence and furnished with a baroque and empire doorway,
has been restored at various periods. It was last put
in order during the reign of Mahmut II. Advancing across
the square we see a historic building of two stories,
the former military secondary school, serving today as
the seat of the Medico-Institute of Istanbul.
To
the left a raised gateway gives access to the Old Palace
and communicates also with the Palace Park which was converted
to a public garden in 1913.
Let us in our turn explore this delightful place, with
its luxuriant trees, overlooking the sea which borders
the Seraglio Point. The view over Beyoglu, the Asian shore
and the port is of an unequalled magnificence.
We notice at the side of the road the statue of Ataturk,
saviour of the country, liberator of Istanbul, that great
and unique leader of men who gave to Turkey a civil state,
gave her admittance to the brotherhood of the great nations
of the world as an independent power, absolute mistress
of her destiny.
MUSEUM OF ANCIENT ORIENT
Beside the entrance to the park, to the right, a gently
sloping road leads us to the group of Museums, we begin
to breathe an air of antiquity, and our attention is held
by the things of the past.
In this huge square we find on our right, the Museum of
Old Oriental Antiquities, housed in a building very simple
in front but containing a treasure of curiosities; it
comprises 12 showrooms. The ancient civilization of the
Orient and the Assyrian, Hittite and Babylon works are
here; represented by rare and rich works for the pleasure
of those who love antique gems and workmanship.
After passing the Museum of Oriental Antiquities, and
admiring the statues disposed about the garden, you will
see, still on the same side, to the left, the Cinili Kiosk,
built in the Oriental style, the oldest example of Turkish
art in Istanbul. It is the work of the young Sultan Mehmet
II, conqueror of the city in 1453. This building, a masterpiece
of art, fashioned in blue faience, with its arcades and
galleried facade, resembles in more than one respect buildings
erected in the same century by the Turks of Central Asia
in Tashkent.
The building on the left of the square is our Archaeological
Museum, reckoned among the most important museums of antiquities
in the world.
