Native name: Buyuk Saray
The Grand Palace dates back to the
Byzantine
Empire . The palace was originally covering a large area including today's Sultan Ahmet Square and Blue Mosque . The rooms were originally having extensions that were built in different periods . These rooms were decorated with mosaics , valuable stones and columns . By the 10th century , Grand Palace started to be used as official accommodation and meeting place . The architectural pieces of the palace were torn down and used elsewhere during the Byzantine period , which caused the palace to be ruined .
During the Ottoman period , other buildings were founded in the same site of the palace , especially Sultanahmet Complex which was constructed during time of Ahmet I . Construction of these new buildings caused some ruins of the palace to disappear . In addition to that , carrying out research related to the palace has not been allowed because of the settlement in the area . Only some ruins and the ruined walls of the Grand Palace were found near Small Hagia Sophia .
