In the 1600’s a scrap merchant found what looked like a piece of glass outside an Istanbul trash heap and quickly sold it for a tidy little profit. That shiny little thing he was so eager to rid himself of turned out to be an 86-karat diamond, and like many treasures scattered across the globe, eventually ended up here at Topkapi Palace. Riches galore and containing a dazzling display of wealth and craftsmanship, the Topkapi Treasury houses the treasures accumulated in more than four centuries of Ottoman rule. A dagger has become the symbol of the Palace, a dagger that was so intricately crafted that its intended recipient, the Shah of Persia, died before it could be delivered, and so it remains in the Treasury on display. You can also see a diamond-encrusted coat of chain mail, a case of bones said to be from the hand of St. John the Baptist, as well as, of course, hundreds of other pieces of jewellery that would make most brides swoon.