Eighty percent of the restoration work of the Imperial Harem (Harem-i Hümayun) section of Topkapı Palace, one of the most famous landmarks of Istanbul that once housed Ottoman sultans while the city was the capital of the empire, has been completed.

Following the completion, other harem rooms such as the Courtyard of the Sultan's Consorts and the Concubines and the hospital of the harem will welcome visitors for the first time, while the museum authorities aim to double the capacity of areas that can be visited.

The term "harem" etymologically means "to cover, conceal or withhold," deriving from the Akkadian "haramu(m)," which means "to separate." It also means "protected, sacred and venerable thing or object" in Arabic. Considering these meanings, the harem's organizational structure in the palace or in the Ottoman houses can generally be referred to as the areas that were reserved for family and women, where foreigners were forbidden to enter.

The historic Topkapı Palace, one of Istanbul's most famous landmarks and the former home of the Ottoman sultans, passed to the control of the National Palaces Administration in 2019. Previously, the operation and upkeep were maintained by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The restoration work of the harem section, which was utilized during the cholera epidemic during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz, has continued with great care since last year.

Topkapı Palace department head Ilhan Kocaman explained the basic structure of the harem: "Topkapı Palace's harem section consists of two parts. The first section is the living space of the sultan, valide sultan or lady sultans, and princes. The valide sultan, the mother of the reigning sultan, was the head of the harem. The second section belongs to those who served in the harem. One part of this section housed the concubines, now known as the Concubines Stone, and has the Turkish baths on one side and the Courtyard of the Concubines on the other. Right next to it, there is the Concubines Ward and the Concubines Hospital at the bottom."

Stating that the harem section attracts widespread interest, Kocaman added: "We will probably double the area of the harem that is currently visited. The restorations we have carried out on both the Concubines Stone House, the Black Eunuchs Courtyard and other parts are currently 70%-80% complete. We have been working on this for two years, and we aim to unveil these parts of the harem within a few months. The harem section is one of the most intriguing and interesting parts of Topkapı Palace. They will surely satisfy the curiosity of our visitors."