site.btaGendarmes in 18th Century Uniforms Guard Istanbul's Topkapi Palace

Gendarmes dressed as Ottoman guards from two centuries ago, equipped with swords, sabres and the typical trappings, are attracting attention these days at Istanbul's Topkapı Palace Museum, which is visited by millions of tourists from around the world.

These are the new uniforms of the soldiers who guarded the Ottoman Empire's famous 13th-century palace complex.

The ancient uniforms revive the traditional attire of the palace guards during the Ottoman era - the so-called silahtars, i.e. the armourers who were responsible for guarding the Sultan's weapons and arsenals.

According to the historian prof. Ilber Ortayli, former director of Topkapı, silahtars were active in the palace until 189 years ago, after which they were disbanded.

The chief silahtars, who were in charge of the Sultan's chambers, treasury and harem, were very influential figures in the Ottoman Empire.

After Turkiye was declared a republic by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923, the security of Topkapı was entrusted to the General Command of the Gendarmerie. 

After the transition to presidential rule in the country, Topkapı was incorporated into the system of National Palaces, which are under the auspices of the Presidency.

Ilhan Kocaman, head of the department at Topkapı, told journalists that a similar recreation of the uniforms of the soldiers of the guard as the one in such an important historical site as Topkapı has been made in many other museums around the world.   

"As in world-renowned museums, we want to implement some practices that reflect and visually display memorable details of the era to which they relate. One of them is the attire of the palace guards, which is in line with the historical era, and is a visual example," he told reporters at a press conference.

He said the recreation of the uniforms of the Topkapı guards in terms of colour, pattern and size was done by experts according to historical analyses.

Today's silahtars are on duty at the gates that open to the sultan's chambers and the entrance to the harem, and at certain times they walk among visitors to remind them of the era. 

Topkapı Palace served as the official residence of the Ottoman sultans for over six centuries and is a symbol of their greatness. The complex abounds with creations of Ottoman architecture and holds a large collection of porcelain, vestments, weapons, shields, armour, Ottoman miniatures, calligraphic works and wall decorations.