Topkapi Palace or Topkapi Saray (Turkish: Topkap? Saray?) was the main residence of all Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years. It was built at the request of Mehmed II the Conqueror when he captured Istanbul. This palace was the main residence until 1856 when Sultan Abdulmejid I ordered the main residence to be Dolmabahçe Palace. All state affairs were conducted from Topkapi Palace. This palace was the very "heart" of the Ottoman Empire. The sultan's harem was also located there. This palace is extremely lavishly decorated with large amounts of gold.The palace was then the venue for many historical state events and royal parties, and today it is a museum that has a large and valuable collection of monuments and works of art (such as the cloak and sword of the Prophet Muhammad, but also Hrvoje's missal). Today, Topkapi Palace is one of the main tourist attractions of Istanbul.
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