Topkapi Palace

Mehmed II (1432-1481) took Constantinople in 1453 and spent the following three decades converting the Ottoman state into a centralised empire, codifying its law, rebuilding its new capital, and extending its rule across Anatolia, the Balkans and the Black Sea.

Roxelana (c. 1502-1558), known as Hürrem Sultan, rose from slavery to become Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent's legal wife and the most powerful woman in Ottoman history.

Topkapi Palace (1459-1856 CE) served as the primary residence and administrative headquarters of Ottoman sultans for nearly four centuries. Located on Seraglio Point overlooking the Bosphorus, this vast complex represents the pinnacle of Ottoman architecture and imperial power.