土耳其伊斯坦堡旅遊記之二: 托卡比皇宮 / Istanbul Travel Blog-2 Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı)

土耳其伊斯坦堡旅遊記之二: 托卡比皇宮 / Istanbul Travel Blog-2 Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı)

（英譯：殘編 / translation by Tanya)

( scroll down for English version / 英文版向下看)

image credit: By Sahar.Ahmed – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68571889

我們此次自助旅行幾乎繞行土耳其全境，主要的觀光景點幾乎都沒錯過，但伊斯坦堡是大家願意多逗留的地方，我們也人人買一張大眾運輸卡，方便極了。
伊斯坦堡橫跨歐亞兩洲，人口約一千四百萬，是全球都市之一。儘管是在同樣的國家，我們卻發現在亞洲部分，許多老一輩的人都能說阿拉伯語，英文卻不通。到了歐洲領土部分卻發現有不少土耳其人能聽得懂英語，阿拉伯語卻不通。在亞洲部分的旅館，管理顯得鬆懈、隨興；歐洲部分的旅館儘管規模小卻非常乾淨、嚴謹，接待也很夠水準。街上民眾熱誠十足，對於引路或求助感覺不遺餘力地協助觀光客，可惜甚少碰到懂英語或阿語的人。他們許多習性與阿拉伯人也非常相似，除了是伊斯蘭文化的影響之外，自然很難不聯想到他們與阿拉伯人在血統上的融合以及長期政治、文化的相互影響。

English version / 英文版:
Our self-guided trip to Turkey gave us the chance to see almost the entire territory. We proudly checked off all the main tourist destinations. Among all, Istanbul is a place where everyone is willing to stay for longer. We also purchased a public transportation card for each, which made our trip a lot more convenient.
Istanbul spans across two continents, Europe and Asia, with a population of approximately 15 million, making it one of the global cities. On the Asia side of the same country, we found that many older generations can speak Arabic, not English. On the European territory, on the other hand, I found that many Turks could understand English, but not Arabic. Hotels in the Asia territory lack management; hotels on the European side, however, despite being small-scale, are immaculate well-managed. Pedestrians are friendly and helpful to all tourists. They went out of their way to help guide us to where we needed to go. However, it was hard to meet someone who understood English or Arabic. Due to the long-term political and mutual cultural criss-cross influence and the influence of Islamic culture, it is natural that many of their habits are very similar to the Arabs.

• 逛市集 / Shopping Bazaar:

伊斯坦堡市集 / Mahmut Pasha Bazaar, İstanbu (image credit: By Danbury – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3985585)

我們為不枉此行，到伊斯坦堡著名的Mahmut Pasha Bazaar市集及幾個大型市集購物，我們的目標自然是羊毛製品，凡毛衣、皮草、圍巾等等都成了我們的目標，還好我們是來自習慣殺價的台灣人，因為這裡的訂價和成交價格之間的差距實在有夠大。走累了我們來到海邊餐館吃魚，還吃到久違的阿拉伯甜點kunafah，只要不是豪華的旅館或餐廳，一般餐館的價格都算便宜。前往伊斯坦堡之前，許多人建議要防扒手，但我們都沒有遭遇到扒手的襲擊，倒是在一條小巷裡遠遠看到有人搶劫過路女子的錢包。

English version / 英文版:
To take full advantage of this trip, we went to Istanbul‘s famous Mahmut Pasha Bazaar and several large shopping markets. Our targets were naturally Turkish wool products, including sweaters, furs, and scarves. Thanks to our Taiwanese bargain culture, we saved quite a few bucks while shopping. When we’re tired of walking, we sat at a seaside restaurant for some freshly caught fish. We also had the chance to eat the Arabic dessert kunafa, which we’d all been craving for. As long as we avoid the luxury hotels and restaurants, restaurants’ prices are generally affordable. Before heading to Istanbul, many people suggested us to keep an eye on pickpockets. While none of us were robbed or attacked, we did witness a woman being robbed in an alley.

除了上一篇所介紹的清真寺與大教堂之外，較令人終生難忘的景點還有托卡比皇宮（Topkapı Sarayı）。我們都愛好歷史文物，所以幾乎耗費一整天在參觀這座大皇宮，它是1466年鄂圖曼土耳其蘇丹穆罕默德二世時期所建，耗時十二年才建築完成，當時佔地約七十萬平方公尺。從十五世紀到十九世紀建築新皇宮以前，這座皇宮都是蘇丹的住所，也是宮廷辦事處。皇宮外觀非常壯觀，鄰近博斯普魯斯海峡，皇宮位於高處，可眺望大海，自然景觀極其優美。

English version / 英文版:
In addition to the mosques and cathedrals we’ve introduced in our previous post, another one of the most memorable attractions is Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı). We were all historic relics junkies, so we spent almost a whole day exploring this grand palace. The site was built during the time of the Ottoman Empire. It took 12 years to complete the construction. At the time, it occupied about 700,000 square meters. From the 15th century to the 19th century, before constructing the “new palace,” this palace was the Ottoman sultans’ residence and administrative headquarters. The structure of the Royal Palace is spectacular. The landmark is close to the Bosphorus Strait. The higher tower provides a gorgeous view overlooking the waters.

Topkapı Sarayı的土文意思是「大砲之門」因為當時該座皇宮外放著穆罕默德蘇丹所使用的大砲。當時這座皇宮是世界最大的皇宮，四周圍牆的長度達五公里，彷彿是伊斯坦堡大城中的小城，曾經一度皇宮裡面住著兩千人以上。至今皇宮保存完美，裡面有功能甚多的獨立建築物，包含住宅、會客廳、御膳房、浣衣局、圖書館、手抄本中心、清真寺、教堂、澡堂、倉庫…等等。皇宮內部的後宮當時由蘇丹的母親掌管，約有四百個房間。十五世紀所建的高聳皇宮大門稱之為「高門」朝向聖索菲亞大教堂方向。以前這座大門會在破曉時間打開，霄禮時刻關閉。原本該座皇宮的門有十三個，今日已經關閉許多大門。

English version / 英文版:
Topkapı Sarayı means “Cannon Gate Palace” in Turkish because Sultan Mehmed‘s cannon was placed outside the palace. At that time, the castle was the largest in the world. The surrounding walls spanned about five kilometers long. It’s its own empire in the kingdom of Istanbul. It once housed over 2000 people. So far, the palace is well preserved. There are independent buildings with many functions, including rooms and chambers, Imperial Council building where meetings were held, imperial dining rooms, museums displaying Ottoman clothing and weapons, libraries, manuscript centers, mosques, churches, baths, warehouses, etc. The harem inside the palace was in charge of the Sultan’s mother at that time, and it had about 400 rooms. The Imperial Gate, built in the 15th century, leads directly to the Hagia Sophia. In the past, this gate would open at dawn and close at all times. The palace initially had thirteen gates. Many gates are closed today.

托卡比皇宮寶庫 Treasury & Museums in Topkapı Palace

內部最吸睛的應該是寶庫，裡面有許多珍貴的歷史寶物，尤其是伊斯蘭神聖之寶，例如歷代一直在哈里發保管下的穆罕默德先知的斗篷和他的雙聖劍、正統哈里發及穆罕默德先知門徒的寶劍…等都被保存在精美纹飾的黃金箱子裡。
皇宮門外有甚具歷史意義的噴泉，稱之為「阿赫馬德蘇丹噴泉」，建築於阿赫馬德蘇丹時期，也是土耳其的「鬱金香時期」（1718-1730 ）。當時土耳其工商業崛起，上流社會都崇尚鬱金香，並掀起宴會、嘉年華會的熱潮，就在此時期，土耳其開始將自己定位為歐洲的一部份。可惜至今他們的願望都未能達成，但渺小的我們還是滿載古人的企圖心和進取心回到旅館。

English version / 英文版:
The most eye-catching site in the palace has to be the treasury, where religious relics, Ottoman clothing, weapons, and armors are on display.
In front of the Imperial Gate is the Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III, a great historical significance fountain. The fountain was built during the Ottoman sultan period, which was also the “Tulip Period” in Turkey (1718-1730), an era where Turkey’s industry and commerce rose. The upper-class established an immense fondness for tulips, which were used in elite social events. The Tulip Period is also the time when Turkey began to orient itself towards Europe. Although the mission hadn’t been accomplished, we still returned to our hotel filled with ambition and fulfillment.