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Treasury, which houses a collection of reli-
gious relics.
The sultans abandoned Topkapı Palace in the
19th century, when they moved to the newer
Dolmabahçe Palace.Topkapi opened to the
public as a museum in 1924, and it has been
one of the most popular tourist attractions in
Istanbul ever since. Admission includes an au-
dio guide. An additional fee is charged to see
the highly decorated Harem rooms.
In the first two courtyards, visitors can
wander through multi-room displays of pre-
cious artifacts, including gold and silver jew-
elry, gifts presented to the sultans by visiting
dignitaries and impressive collections of ar-
mor, weapons and clocks. The library holds a
collection of manuscripts, maps and books
that surround brightly lit nooks where the
Sultan came to read. It’s easily the envy of
book lovers around the world.

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