The Sublime Porte

As of the 17th century, the execution of state and official affairs in the Ottoman administration was relocated from the Divân-ı Hümâyûn (Imperial Council) at the Topkapı palace to a bureaucratic model centred on the Grand Vizier, which in turn gave rise to the establishment of The Sublime Porte (Bâb-ı Âli) complex. The architectural history of the Sublime Porte is filled with consecutive fires and restorations. The Sublime Porte complex commissioned by Mahmud II (1808-1839) in 1810 was burnt down in 1826. Following the restoration works that ended in 1827, it was destroyed by fire once again in 1839 and was rebuilt as a masonry structure by Abdülmecid (1839-1861) in 1844. The structure seen from afar in the panorama must be this very structure, which is the work of the architect known as Stefan Kalfa.