View allAll Photos Tagged TopkapiPalace
The Topkapı Palace, or the Seraglio, is a large museum in Istanbul, Turkey. In the 15th century, it was the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans
After the practice of killing the new sultan's brothers fell out of favor, the brothers had to have their own personal rooms... where they could be watched 24 hours a day. To keep the brother from killing the sultan and assuming power himself, he was kept relatively isolated.
This was better than death, but in the case of the death of the sultan and the brother came the power the new sultan was ignorant of the issues and needs of the empire and life outside of the harem. Not a good thing for the health of an empire.