500-YEAR-OLD BAKLAVA PROCESSION TRADITION EXTENDING FROM TOPKAPI PALACE TO KARAKÖY
As a tradition from the time of Suleiman the Magnificent, on the fifteenth day of each Ramadan, palace baklava was served to the Janissaries and other military corps in Istanbul, with one tray for ten people, due to the Feast of Hırka-i Saadet. On that day, all the soldiers, especially the janissary divisions, were taken in through the middle door of the palace, tied to silk loincloths called futa, and lined up in a row in front of the baklava trays lined up in front of the palace kitchens.