“Ak Ağalar Camii” (Mosque of the White Aghas) the present library of the palace

This building, one of the oldest of the palace and probably its largest mosque, dates from the 15th century. After the proclamation of the republic, the mosque was converted into a library in 1928, where all the scattered books of the palace were then gathered together. Today the library houses 135000 Turkish, Arabic Persian and Greek books and manuscripts.

Garment and Caftan Collection

To the east of the Enderun court is the “Seferli Koğuşu” (School for the Expeditonary Pages), in which various garments of the sultans and princes are displayed.

This long extensive building with colonnade consists of two large connecting rooms. In the first room of two large connecting rooms. In the first room the caftans (magnificent garments) of all sultans who lived in Istanbul are displayed. They are made of precious materials, silks, satins, brocades and velvets. Noteworthy displays in the rear room are the garments of princes, valuable Turkish material samples mainly with flower patterns, precious furs used for the sultans’ winter caftans and silk prayer rugs.

General Information About caftans and Turkish Clothing:

The caftan, a robe-like garment with long wide sleves and open down the front, was worn over other clothes. Cloth for the caftans was of Turkish origin, woven in Bursa and sent to Istanbul for sewing.

There are 2500 garments in the collection, mainly composed of the priceless caftans of the sultans.

Upon the death of a sultan his clothes were labelled and carefully stored in the treasury. This, along with the fact that they were taken out and aired each spring to protect them from damp, has resulted in these magnificent garments being amazingly well preserved today.

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