Iznik pottery
The ceramic collection of the Topkapi Palace includes over ten thousand pieces of Chinese porcelain but almost no Iznik pottery. Most of the surviving Iznik vessels are in museums outside Turkey, but examples of the city's tile production exist in numerous cities throughout Turkey, such as İstanbul, Bursa, Edirne and Adana. In Istanbul examples of Iznik tiling can be seen in mosques, tombs, libraries, and palace buildings, such as the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque, the tomb of Selim II in the Hagia Sophia complex, and certain buildings of the Topkapı Palace complex such as the Circumcision room and the Baghdad Kiosk.
Topkapı Palace
The Courtyard of the Sultan's Consorts and the Concubines ("Kadın Efendiler Taşlığı / Cariye Taşlığı") was constructed at the same time as the courtyard of the eunuchs in the middle of the 16th century.
It underwent restoration after the 1665 fire and is the smallest courtyard of the Harem.
The porticoed courtyard is surrounded by baths ("Cariye Hamamı"), a laundry fountain, a laundry, dormitories, the apartments of the Sultan's chief consort and the apartments of the stewardesses ("Kalfalar Dairesi").
The three independent tiled apartments with fireplaces overlooking the Golden Horn were the quarters where the consorts of the Sultan lived. These constructions covered the site of the courtyard in the late 16th century.
At the entrance to the quarters of the Queen Mother, wall frescoes from the late 18th century depict landscapes, reflecting the western influence.
The staircase, called the "Forty Steps" ("Kirkmerdiven"), leads to the Hospital of the Harem ("Harem Hastanesi"), the dormitories of the concubines at the basement of the Harem and Harem Gardens.