Silk routes of Turkey

The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul has one of the most valuable collections of Chinese and Japanese porcelain in the world. The palace was built in the 1460s and was the residence for the imperial family until the mid-19^th century. Now a museum, its famous collection of porcelain dates back to the 13^th century and includes over 1,000 pieces of blue and white celadon and over 3,000 pieces of Yuan, Ming and Vietnamese ware, including some of the finest blue and white examples from the Ming Dynasty. Much of the collection would have been made as gifts from visiting dignitaries each time a new Sultan acceded the throne of the Ottoman Empire. Since the overland silk roads were unsuitable for the transport of these fragile items, the majority of this collection would have been transported via the maritime silk roads, passing via the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.