TOPKAPI PALACE KARAKOL RESTAURANT

Topkapı Palace, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'34.9"N 28°58'45.2"E / 41.009684, 28.979236



PHOTOGRAPHS ALBUM

EXTERIOR GUARD POST BUILDING

Karakol Restaurant, which serves as an A La carte Restaurant and Cafe in two halls, one being for the summer and another one being for winter, is to organize and host business meetings, dinner receptions and private receptions. Karakol Restaurant, which offers cafe - bar and restaurant services at any time of the day, hosts its distinguished guests in a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere and entertains its guests with special tastes at one of the most favorite venues of Istanbul.

The "Exterior Guard Post" building located in the 1st Yard of Topkapı Palace and the Imperial Walls, which were had built by Sultan Mehmed II, the Conqueror, in the 15th century, is situated between Saint Irene and the Imperial Walls. The front yard of the premises faces the 1st Yard of the Palace. The backyard of the guard post embraces the ruins of Saint Samson Hospital and old people's home, which had been built during the Byzantine era, and the excavation works of which started in 1947.

Even though people had lived in shanty housing structures of suspended ceilings and partitions built in the premises and even inside the building as well as the yard, where the archaeological ruins from the Byzantine were located, for a long time; the Minister of Culture and Tourism, immediately intervened the situation, which was definitely not suitable especially on a path way visible by thousands of visitors of Topkapı Palace Museum, and decided the "Exterior Guard Post" and the surrounding structures to be restored, arranged and made available for public service.

The restoration project of the "Exterior Guard Post" premises were operated as a high quality restaurant and café, conducted researches for competent restaurant and café management and operation companies, which could meet the high quality management expectations, and eventually awarded the contract to Feriye Restaurant amongst a list of other select companies.

Topkapı Palace, the 1st Yard, Exterior Guard Post
Saint Irene, which is located within the 1st Yard of Topkapı Palace, was had built by Emperor Justinian in 548 and is the only surviving church with an atrium from the Byzantine era. Since it was included inside the Imperial Walls and used as an armory and a warehouse of possessions, it was named "Cebehane".

In 1846, Ahmet Fethi Pasha founded the very first Ottoman museum with the collected artifacts, which were arranged in two lines as "Mecma-i Esliha-i Atika" (the Collection of Antique Weapons) and "Mecma-i Asar-i Atika" (the Collection of Antique Artifacts), and the museum was named the Imperial Museum. The ancient church, which was used an armory, was then used as the Military Museum for a while in 1908.

The structure, which left unattended thereafter, was repaired and made a part of and brought under the control of the Directorate of Hagia Sophia Museum. On the southwest of the Monument of Saint Irene are some ruins from Samson Xenodochion. The said part, which is located between Hagia Sopiha and Saint Irene is not at all mentioned during the recess period of Byzantine.

The structure is located on the southwest of Saint Irene, between the ancient church and the walls inside the yard, which is accessible through the Imperial Gate inside Topkapı Palace. On the northwest of the structure are some ruins, which are located between the ancient church and the walls and under the ground level, and which are dated to the Byzantine era and are believed to belong to Sampson Xenodochion and the cisterns extending toward the southeast direction. The structure, which was initially used as the exterior guard post for Topkapı, has been used as as accommodation facility for the staff in the near past.

During the early years of the Ottoman domination, the ruins were covered. The date of the process is, however, not known. Nonetheless, the field is shown as the wood yard on a miniature painting of the Hunername of 1585. Evliya Celebi describes it as follows; "The woods of the seniors are delivered from this field. This huge wood yard is located on the interior side of the Imperial Gate and inside the walls and has the capacity to embrace five hundred ships of woods".

According to the travel book of Evliya Celebi; the field was used as the Wood Yard Guild and as the Caners' Guild and Aslan Hane in the early times of Ottoman rule. In the 19th century, a guard post of stone was built on the field, which was then being used as the Water Carriers' Guild.

Saint Irene, the First Church of Byzantine
Saint Irene is the greatest church of Byzantine. The ancient sources suggest that Saint Irene was built during the reign of Constantinus I (324 - 337) in the early 4th century on the ruins of the Roman temples of Artemis, Aphrodite and Apollo. Saint Irene, which is located within the same yard as Hagia Sophia, was burned along with Sempson Zenon, which was located adjacent thereto, during Nika Riots of 532. In the aftermath, Emperor Justinian had Saint Irene as well as Hagia Sopia rebuilt. Even though the construction was started in 532, the date of completion is not known definitely.

The strong earthquakes, which occurred in the 8th and the 9th centuries, caused considerable damages on the church. Saint Irene, which was referred to as the Patriarchate's Chapel by the Byzantine, became a part of the domain inside the Imperial Walls, which surrounded Topkapi Palace, after the conquest of Istanbul. Thus, since it was not converted into a mosque, it did not undergo any significant architectural modification. It was used initially as the internal armory and subsequently as the arsenal of the Ministry of War.

Constantinus, while he was reconstituting the city, had a forum, a palace and a hippodrome built for his name and he also had the Church of Saint Irene built on the Roman temples in 330s. Hagia Eirene, the original name of the church, means "Holy Peace" and was named after a female saint, who lived in the same era. The original name of the saint was Penelope.

Penelope devoted her life to spread the doctrines of Christianity. She was thrown down to a well full of snakes by the pagans, but she survived. She was then stoned, and tied to horses and dragged, but she survived. Subsequently, the pagans converted into Christianity after witnessing her miracles, and Penelope was named Irene. Thus, Emperor Constantinus named the first temple of the monotheistic religion after her as Saint Irene or Hagia Eirene.

Saint Irene is the only church with an atrium from the Byzantine. Atrium is what a cloister, which used to be characteristically located in the center of ancient Roman temples, was called. Saint Irene still maintains the characteristics of the ancient Roman temple, which used to be its predecessor in location. However, the Saint Irene, which currently stands on the same spot, is not the original one.

The original Saint Irene, which was a wooden structure, burned in 532. The people, who rose in riot when Emperor Justinian prohibited polytheistic beliefs, burned both Hagia Sophia and Saint Irene on behalf of Zeus. Even though Justinian had Hagia Sophia and Saint Irene rebuilt, Saint Irene burned once again in 564, and was repaired. The church underwent the third repair when it was damaged by the earthquakes.

When the Sultan Mehmed II, the Ottoman Sultan, conquered Istanbul, a new era began. The exterior walls of Topkapı Palace, the construction of which was started upon the Sultan's entrance to the city, was planned to pass between Hagia Sopia and Saint Irene. In time, Saint Irene started to be used as the internal armory, where the weapons were maintained and repaired.

Saint Irene was the first museum of Ottoman Empire. The first museum of the Empire was opened in Saint Irene in the 19th century when the weapons kept in the armory became antiques. The double-leaf stairs, which enable the access to the galleries, were constructed when the structure was turned into a museum. The Ottomans added the inscription, dated 1726, and the said stairs to the ancient church.

Since icons were prohibited in Byzantine for religious concerns, during the repairs after the earthquakes, which damaged Saint Irene, no embellishments were worked on the walls. Currently, no motifs have survived other than the cross, symbolizing Jesus, on the abscissa, which used to be covered by the Ottomans through the use of a flag, and a several-step pulpit, symbolizing the Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, located thereunder.

The structure has not undergone any significant modifications since it was not transformed into a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, and was used as the armory and the warehouse of possessions for a long time. Ahmet Fethi Pasha ensured the artifacts, which constituted the very foundation of Turkish museology, to be exhibited in Saint Irene in 1846.

The Church was, then, named as Müze-i Hümayun (the Imperial Museum) in 1869. Nevertheless, the artifacts were moved to Çinili Kiosk in 1875 due to space concerns when the space of Saint Irene remained insufficient. Saint Irene was used as the Military Museum for a while after 1908. The structure, which was thereafter left unattended, was then made a part of and brought under the supervision of the Directorate of Hagia Sopiha Museum.

Ahmet Fethi Pasha ensured the artifacts, which constituted the very foundation of Turkish museology, to be exhibited in Saint Irene in 1846. The Church was, then, named as Müze-I Hümayun (the Imperial Museum) in 1869. Nevertheless, the artifacts were moved to Çinili Kiosk in 1875 due to space concerns when the space of Saint Irene remained insufficient. Saint Irene was used as the Military Museum for a while after 1908. The structure, which was thereafter left unattended, was then made a part of and brought under the supervision of the Directorate of Hagia Sopiha Museum.

KARAKOL RESTAURANT

The Concept of Karakol Restaurant
Karakol Restaurant, which serves as an A La carte Restaurant and Café in two halls, one being for the summer and another one being for winter, is to organize and host business meetings, dinner receptions and private receptions. Karakol Restaurant, which offers café - bar and restaurant services at any time of the day, hosts its distinguished guests in a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere and entertains its guests with special tastes at one of the most favorite venues of Istanbul.

Fields of Activity
- Restaurant and Café
- Event Management
- Outdoor and Indoor Catering
- Gastronomic Training
- Ottoman Cuisine Researches and Practices
- International Publicity Event Organization
- Congress and Event Organization

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WEB SITE : Karakol Restaurant

MORE INFO & CONTACT
E-Mail : info@karakolrestaurant.com
Phone : +90 212 514 9494

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