Porte

From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.

Synonym of the government of the Ottoman Empire often confusing the Sublime Porte and the High Porte.

The Sublime Porte is the open court of the sultan, lead by the Grand Vizier. It got its name after the gate to the headquarters to the Grand Vizier. Later it became the Foreign Ministry and in contemporary times the office of the governor (Vali) of Istanbul Province.

The High Porte is the private court of the sultan.