TOPKAPI PALACE...continued

BAB-US-SAADE (Gate of Felicity)

We are going to pass through the interior gate, which gives access to the Sultan's private apartments. Here we are in the secluded, domestic domain of the sovereign. No one could enter the Sultan's house without authority. Only the Grand Vizier on certain days specified in advance and on conditions also specified in advance, could pass beneath this gate behind which was this royal audience chamber, in order to report on affairs of state. Insurgents who stormed into the Palace always came to a stop before this inviolable gate; throughout the whole course of its history it was only twice entered by rebellious forces, once at the fall of the young Sultan Osman, secondly when Alemdar Mustafa Pasa returned from Rumeli at the head of a revolutionary army to restore Selim III to the throne.

This Gate of Felicity has been the scene in our history of other remarkable vents: the accession to the throne of a new Sultan, the offering of vows at Bayrams, the ceremonial bestowal of the title of Serdar (Generalissimo) or commander in chief of an army leaving for active service. The transfer by the sovereign with his own hands of the Sacred Flag to a chosen soldier took place on the threshold of the "Bab-us-Saade". No matter what the season or the weather, the imperial throne, furnished with gilded cushions, was set up before this famous door; at ritual feasts a special throne was installed, and given the name of "Bayram Tahti" (Throne of Festivals).

The day of his accession the monarch first received the homage of the "Kizlaragasi" (Grand Eunuch) and of the chief of his personal chamberlains, the "Silahtar Aga" (sword bearer), Grand Master of the palace pages.
Only when the ceremony was completed did the sovereign seat himself on the throne. The esplanade opposite the gate was thronged with janissaries in dress uniform, the Band (Mehter), first musical ensemble to exist in an army, struck up martial airs, the soldiers applauded, and the Sultan sat enthroned, the Grand Eunuch on his right, on his left the Master of the Palace pages.

These personages, having already made the act of obedience, did not need to repeat it outside the gate; It was now the turn of other members of the court to come and pay homage and make the act of submission to their lord and master. The «Nakib-ul-Esraf» uttered a prayer for the occasion, the various officials offered their respects and their devotion, and the two Chief Porters, timing their steps to the beating of two silver batons on the ground, led the procession, which had to halt at the building known as "Kubbe Alti» (Below the Cupola). There the Grand Vizier and the viziers as well as the officials included in the protocol, were invited to kiss the hem of the Sultan's cloak.

The procession was headed by the Grand Vizir himself. and when the dignitaries reached a certain designated point (three marked flag-stones), a few paces before the throne beneath the cupola, they bowed down to the ground and humbly saluted the Padishah. At the approach of the Grand Vizier, the Sultan rose, while «Sadrazam» knel and kissed the sovereign's feet, afterwards taking up a position on the right of the throne; then it was the turn of the viziers and other notables to fulfill the same, prescribed obligation. Finally everyone withdrew by backward steps, and the ceremony was over.

When the Sultan had regained his private apartments, he ordered a bonus, called the “Gift of Accession” to be distributed among his soldiers, amounting to three months wages. This was repeated at every new accession to the throne, and was a practice which continued since 14, century.

AUDIENCE ROOM

Adjacent to this gate is the Audience Room, which has already been mentioned, it comprises 22 columns and 22 vaults, and represents, with its ornamentation and cornices and roof, a specifically Turkish style of architecture. The facade is covered with coloured tiles and a fountain rests near. The building was put up in the 15th century on the orders of the Conqueror, and subsequently modified. The inscription in Persian above the fountain is a verse written by Suleyman the Law-Giver (Magnificent) and that above the door is by Ahmet III, giving in alphabetical notation the date 1724. There is another inscription in Arabic characters engraved above a second gate, the work of Mahmud II, mentioning the date 1310. It can be seen that the Turkish Sultans counted among them numerous poets and calligraphers.

To the left, below a dome, there is a throne in the form of a dais, on which some cleverly rhymed verses bear the date 1596. Of old and dated appearance now, this imperial seat should be pictured as covered with embroidery, sewn with pearls and the glistening emeralds that we shall be admiring among the beauties gathered in the Imperial Treasury (Hazine). The curtains of the room and the small pillars supporting the throne were set all over with rare stones. There is a small fountain in the interior which with the sound of its spray must have prevented anyone hearing from outside the conversations which took place there.

We said earlier that the Sultan granted audiences to foreign ambassadors and other notables in this room. The ambassadors admitted into the Sultan's presence were flanked by two Agas who supported them by the arms and helped them to prostrate themselves before the Sultan. Throughout the history, the envoy of the Czar Alexis Mihailovitch of Russia flatly refused to do this, and it was only with the difficulty that the two guards succeeded in getting him to perform the obligatory reverence!

Leaving by the door in front of us, the steps will lead us towards the sloping ground by which we shall arrive at the Third Courtyard of the Palace.

On the left, the first building that we see is the library of Ahmet III. It cannot be entered without a special permit.

The Mehter Band

The Mehter band, one of the very first military band in the world, used to play military marches during the Ottoman times and was usually associated with the janissary organization. The instruments used are shrill pipe, kös drums, kettle drum, bell and human voice. The music purposed to incite the own troops and to frighten the enemy. The members of the Mehter band used to play while marching. The step was called "the janissary step". They took three steps forward and then stopped and looked right and left. The musicians played and marched in an orderly manner.

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