Palace of Porphyrogenitus

The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus is a late 13th-century Byzantine palace in the north-western part of the old city of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). An annex of the greater palace complex of Blachernae, it is the best preserved of the three Byzantine palaces to survive in the city and one of the few relatively intact examples of late Byzantine secular architecture in the world.

The palace suffered extensive damage due to its proximity to the outer walls during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Afterwards it was used for a wide variety of purposes. During the 16th and 17th century, it housed part of the Sultan's menagerie. From 1719, the Tekfur Sarayı pottery workshop was established, and began to produce ceramic tiles. In the early 20th century, it was briefly used as a bottle factory, before being abandoned. As a result, only the elaborate brick and stone outer façade survived as one of the few surviving examples of secular Byzantine architecture.

In 2021 it opened to the public as a museum after complete restoration and reroofing. It displays examples of the types of pottery and tiles made in the abandoned palace buildings in the 18th century.

Address
Şişhane Caddesi No:98, Istanbul, Turkey

Established
13th century