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Topkapi Palace's Serbethane, a section of the Ottoman imperial kitchens, has reopened to visitors following a restoration and a redesigned exhibition featuring 452 artifacts, Turkiye's National Palaces Administration said.
The building, located in the Matbah-i Amire complex in the palace's second courtyard, now presents an expanded collection illustrating the Ottoman palace kitchen's traditions of sherbet, dessert, paste, essence, and presentation.
Ilhan Kocaman, head of the Topkapi Palace department, said the site was first opened in 2010 and had deteriorated over time.
He said around nine months of work was carried out, both to expand and renew the artifacts on display and to complete the building's restoration, raising the number of exhibited pieces from 174 to 452.
According to Kocaman, desserts were prepared at the Serbethane alongside beverages, while the palace's chief physician produced various pastes and remedies there.
The section served not only the sultan but also palace residents and staff. Ashura, a dessert with significance during the Islamic month of Muharram, was also prepared and presented at the site, he said.
Kocaman added that visitors will now be able to see numerous artifacts not previously on display.
The Serbethane operated as part of the Helvahane, the confectionery section of the Ottoman palace, and was among the centers where baklava, halva, sherbet and various desserts were prepared primarily for the sultan and palace residents.
Medicines, pastes, and essences were also produced in this section under the supervision of the chief physician, reflecting the palace kitchen's dual role in serving culinary traditions alongside healing and fragrance practices.
The renewed display includes porcelain holders used for Nevruz celebrations, silver and gilded ashura jugs, dessert containers with ornate lids, Chinese porcelain pickle jars, sherbet jars and glasses, sherbet cloths, incense burners and rosewater sprinklers, among other artifacts.
The Matbah-i Amire buildings underwent a major restoration in 2010 and were reorganized for museum use after around 15 years of service.
Work intensified last year and was completed in 2026, after finalization of curatorial arrangements, and the selection and placement of the collections to be displayed.
The restoration preserved the building's historic structure while reinforcing its supporting system, renewing the basalt stone flooring, installing new display cases, and designing information panels in keeping with the building's historic character.
The Serbethane is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Tuesdays, when the Topkapi Palace is closed.
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