New exhibit connects Topkapı, Alhambra palaces

An exhibition on Topkapı and Alhambra palaces, which were built during the same period and have similar political symbols and meanings, will open April 5 as part of the second forum of the Alliance of Civilizations.

The exhibition, titled “The Palaces of Alhambra and Topkapı in the Photography of the Journey to the East on the Boundaries of the Same Sea,” is jointly organized by the Topkapı Palace Museum, Spanish State International Culture and Promotion Foundation, Istanbul Cervantes Institute, and Alhambra and Generalife Council.

The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex built by the Moorish rulers of Granada in southern Spain.

Aiming to establish a dialogue between the Alhambra and Topkapı palaces via a collection that includes 19th century photos from artists such as Jean Laurent and Abdullah Biraderler, the exhibition invites visitors to see the palaces’ courtyards, rooms and decorations amid a magnificent view of Istanbul. It also aims to draw attention to the photography techniques of that period.

The exhibition is divided into four sections: “Travels, Monument and Visual Memory,” “Palaces in the City,” “Palaces in Time” and “Distinctive Look.”

126 original works to be on display

A total of 126 works including photographs, maps, plans, lithography, travel books, scale models, plaster reproductions and original pieces from the Ottoman period have been brought together for the exhibition. Selected panoramic views of Granada by James Robertson and of Istanbul by Biraderler will be highlighted.

Images and objects with symbolic meaning for both palaces, preserved by Istanbul University, are included in the exhibition: such as the original sword of Fatih Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, the founder of Topkapı Palace, and the actual-sized photograph of Granada’s emperor Ebu Abdullah’s sword, as well as precious photographic pieces from the Sultan Abulhamid collection.

The pieces in the exhibition have been collected from the archives of the Alhambra and Generalife Council, Istanbul University library, Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation’s Istanbul Research Institute, Topkapı Museum, Washington Congress Library and Granada Rodriguez-Acosta Foundation.

The Istanbul exhibition is based on an exhibition called “Light on Paper: Granada and Alhambra Palace in the Photos of Jean Laurent” that was organized by the Alhambra and Generalife Council at the V. Karl Palace in Granada in 2007.

Similar palaces far from each other

Alhambra and Topkapı palaces were built at almost the same time and have similar political and symbolic meanings. Completed in the 14th and 15th centuries, the palaces have become cultural symbols in Turkey and Spain and the witnesses of civilizations known for reconciling differences. Throughout history, the palaces went beyond being historic monuments and were reinvented by tourists.

Since they were built as autonomous settlement areas in their cities, the borders of the palaces were strictly determined. The Topkapı Palace was located at the center of old Byzantium with a magnificent view of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.

The Alhambra Palace, which overlooks the city of Granada on a green area, has been separated from the district of Albaicin as a result of its strong walls.
Both palaces, sharing many characteristics of Islamic architecture, have become famous in the world as the most magnificent structures in Islamic art.

The Alliance of Civilizations forum, of which the exhibition is a part, will take place in Istanbul on April 6 and 7. The exhibition, curated by Javier Pinar and Carlos Sanchez, will continue through May 31.