[{SlideShowNav}] !!!Topkapi Palace [{Image src='410tu.jpg' width='800' height='603' alt='Topkapi Palace' class='image_left'}] [{SET customtitle='Topkapi Palace'}] The Topkapi Palace [{GoogleMap location='Fatih, Topkapı-Palast, Türkei' zoom='15'}] courtyard in Istanbul. The Palace was the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contains many holy relics of the Muslim world. Construction was begun in 1459, and at its height, the complex housed 4,000 people. In 1924, a governmental decree transformed the Palace into a museum of the imperial era.