The palace complex is located on the Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu), a promontory overlooking the Golden Horn, where the Bosphorus Strait meets the Marmara Sea. The terrain is hilly and the palace itself is located at one of the highest points close to the sea. During Greek and Byzantine times, the acropolis of the ancient Greek city of Byzantion stood here. After Sultan Mehmed II’s conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Great Palace of Constantinople was largely in ruins. The Ottoman court was initially set up in the Old Palace (Eski Saray), today the site of Istanbul University in Beyazit Square. Mehmed II ordered that construction of Topkapı Palace begin in 1459.
The Summer Pavilion was built by Sultan Ibrahim in 1640. As this place was used for the circumcision ceremonies of the crown princes, it is also called the Circumcision Room. The walls are covered with rare samples of Ottoman tiles. The most important of these are the blue and white tile panels, dated 1529, influenced by far-eastern ceremics on the chamber facade.
