On Sunday 2 September, the technical director of the MARQ, Manuel Olcina, acted as host and guide to the director of the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul, Ayse Erdogdu, and the director of the Archaeological Museum of the Turkish city, who visited the MARQ together with a group of Ottoman archaeologists, architects and historians. Accompanied by Boris Micka, the designer of the MARQ's permanent exhibition, they showed special interest not only in touring the museum halls, but also in getting to know the heart of the MARQ, the technical and work areas. These rooms, off the beaten track, are where the curators and archaeologists carry out their daily work of conserving, researching and protecting Alicante's archaeological heritage. The Topkapi Palace is the best reflection of the imperial era in Istanbul and symbolises the power that Constantinople achieved as the seat of the Ottoman Empire. The 700,000-square-metre Topkapi Palace has four courtyards and multiple buildings inside: weapons room, kitchen, royal stables, treasury and many more. Inside the walls of the palace you will find the Archaeological Museum and other buildings that are a must-see in Turkey.
