The Relic Hunters by brewgirlca
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Description
The Palace Privy Chamber and the Pavilion of the Blessed Mantle at Topkapi Palace houses the Chamber of the Sacred Relics. These were originally the private rooms of the Sultan Murad III (1546-1595). They house the most sacred relics of the Muslim world including the cloak of Muhammed, his swords and sabres, a bow, a tooth and some of his beard plus a letter written by him. There are also objects from his family and contemporary followers including an ancient copy of the Koran.
They were brought to the palace sometime after the Ottoman Sultan Selim I conquered the Abbasid Arabs in 1517. After this time the center of the Islamic faith moved from Mamluk Egypt to Istanbul.
Murad III was an interesting character in that he corresponded with Elizabeth I of England and proposed an alliance of Muslim and Protestants faiths against Catholic Europe. He saw much in common with Protestants including the exclusion of idolatry. He almost went to war with England against Spain in 1585.
Understandably line ups are huge both with Muslims and others queing up. You can easily stand in line for an hour in the baking sun just to get in. Make sure you pee before you get in line! The relics themselves are not overly visually impressive but they certainly held people's attention. Not that you had much time at any one post as the guards kept you moving along in a single file that weaved its way through the pavilion.
I went through the first time I was at the palace but a year later I opted just to kick back and photograph the site and the people. What a riot of colors, shapes and forms there were.
Comments (31)
Faemike55
Very cool photo and even cooler history....think of what the world would be like if the alliance had been in fact formed......
brewgirlca
Indeed Mike, probably completley different. I'm always amazed how much history can be shifted as the result of a single event or a one-off alliance. Maybe one of the most critical events being the battle of the Tiber on 28 October 312 where Constantine won victory over the pagan Maxentius and with that brought Christianity to power within the Roman Empire.
eekdog
just love your photo works dear Roxy and your detailed info..
barryjeffer
Beautiful shot Roxy... gorgeous in fact. And yeah so many things of great importance could have well been changed, for better or worse, if different choices had been made.
SidheRoseGraphics
It looks like Sultan Murad III lived quite opulently here. This is quite the image and crowd and a fantastic image. Did you know that the 'Donation of Constantine' in which he supposedly gave the Church the right to pick his successor (not necessarily his eldest son but whomever they deemed 'fit' in their eyes) has been proven to be a forgery...by...guess who? No doubt the story of his miraculus vision at the battle was (in his mind anyway) Sol Invictus and not the cross, for he previously was a devotee of Sol Invictus. Yes, indeed - how things might be different. Then again, they could be worse. But we shall never know unless we find some way to tap into 'alternate versions of reality'. An interesing thought ;)
Blush
Excellent image and thanks for the info as well Hugs Susan~
shingleboot
Very beautiful structure. It as a nice calming effect on one.
odile
A very nice shot!When I went there ,it was closed to the public for some reasons but thanks to our guide we had a private visit,with no one around.:)
chaylastorm
That's a beautiful shot Roxy. Istanbul is a place I would love to visit one day.. but living at the bottom of the world makes it very hard to save to go. LOL So thank you..for the history and these great pictures.
photosynthesis
Fantastic Islamic architecture & your painterly photo-impressionist postwork shows it off beautifully...
fallen21
Amazing capture!
Tracesl
excellent
magnus073
This really is an epic capture Roxy, and I very much enjoyed the background info you provided.
alanwilliams
oh so elegant
nefertiabet
Fantastic image and thanks for the Info my friend!!!
4udreamcatcher
Such vibrancy, beautiful :O-)
drifterlee
Gorgeous building!!!!!
pixeluna
LOL, I will take your advice about head call, Roxy. I've been to similar places where you have to wait in line, as it is more than a mile long. Such a nice shot of the Privy Chamber facade. Thank you for sharing and the info is something interesting to know.
renecyberdoc
seems murad had brains he was not fighting all unbelievers hehehehe. all religions have common grounds but its a delicate theme and i dont want to get involved in a religious discussion here,the only thing i must say .if you kill the next of kin in the name of god or in the name of allah thats a no go for me. ist all about power.
RodS
Indeed a very colorful shot, Roxy - and fascinating information as well! I really do enjoy your photography and knowledge, my friend!
9002434
Nice snapshot. Bravo!!
dragonmuse
Very interesting history. Alas I can no longer stand in lines to ever see such things, let alone travel. It is lovely that you share these with us.
Nonsolum
Thanks for the advise "on line" lol Superb shot.
adorety
Super shot and nice postwork, it really amplifies the already vibrant colors. That's an interesting bit of history as is Rayvn's additional info. Ah, the old 'what if' line of posibillity. An endless trap and an endless source of serious discussion and thought. Does anyone learn from the past really? The domino effect of choices made or that could have been made are overwhelming. With the alliance you speak, it makes you wonder if it had occurred and they lost. Would the Catholics be even more powerful or crumble from a war. Or if they won, would people have migrated sooner or later to the new world? Would people all be protestant or muslim or sone new hybrid religion? The possibillities seem endless.
rhol_figament
I like the architech...:)
JuliSonne
Remarkable architectur and place. Forward closed like a fortress and back a Garden of Eden. A super pic with many details und beautiful colors. The subtle soft focus is good.
tennesseecowgirl
beautiful image!!!
ElusiveAngel
This is beautiful! Love what you did with the photo. Excellent job! Thanks for all the info as well.
pregiato
Beautiful Topkapi Palace, I've been there I recommend it to all.
mtdana
Your comments are a nice into the beautiful architecture and capture. It looks like tone mapped HDRI but I don’t know how you would have done that with so many moving objects :)