Topkapi Palace Location Istanbul, Turkey Built mid-15th century Architect(s) Mehmed II; Alaüddin; Davud Ağa; Mimar Sinan; Sarkis Balyan Architectural style Ottoman, Baroque Client Ottoman Sultans Owner Turkish state Size 592,600m² - 700,000m²
Facts
The palace has been deemed lax on security and preservation by some experts, who point out that the palace has no climate-controlled rooms or storage.
Since many of the walls at the palace are 10 feet thick, it escaped much structural damage during a 1999 earthquake; afterwards, however, the museum director placed the china on more secure mounts in the palace.
During a 1999 robbery, thieves stole portions of a 12th-century Q’uran from a locked exhibit in the library.
Potala Palace Location Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region (China) Built 1645-1694 Architect(s) Unknown Architectural Style Fusion (Chinese & Tibetan) Client Lozang Gyatso (The 5th Dalai Lama) Owner Tibetan/Chinese government Size 400m (east-west); 350m (north-south)
Facts
The Potala Palace was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. The Chinese government responded by enacting a rule barring the building of any structure taller than 21 metres in the area.
Its sloping stone walls averaging three metres thick (five metres at the base) had copper poured into their foundations to help protect it against earthquakes.
Its 13 stories of buildings contain over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and approximately 200,000 statues.
Site Map
\
FEATURED COMMENT
Please click here to comment on this article