The First Courtyard functions as a forecourt to the Ottoman imperial complex and reflects a deliberate architectural separation between the civic and sovereign domains. It is enclosed by fortified perimeter walls and framed by functional buildings, including the Imperial Mint (Darphane-i Âmire), the palace bakery (Has Fırın), stables, guard barracks, and most notably the Church of Hagia Irene, which was repurposed as an arsenal and storage facility under the Ottomans. These buildings, although modest in ornamentation, played vital roles in palace operations.

Unlike the geometrically rigid courtyards of European palaces, the spatial layout of the First Courtyard is open and asymmetrical, designed to accommodate military formations, logistical movement, and formal processions. The architectural language is restrained, with emphasis placed instead on symbolic control through the monumental Imperial Gate at its entrance and the axial approach to the Middle Gate at its opposite end. Access beyond this courtyard was tightly regulated, reinforcing the hierarchy of imperial space. Though not primarily decorative, the courtyard’s scale and axial planning contribute to the ceremonial impact of entry into the palace.

circa 1478 CE

Imperial Gate (Bâb-ı Hümâyûn)
The Imperial Gate and outer wall were added to the fortress in Ramadan 883 AH, that is between November and December 1478, after the buildings and gardens had been finished. The Imperial Gate is the first entrance into the palace and thus separates the palace from the city. On each side of the gate are small rooms for gatekeepers and until 1866 CE (1282 Hj.) a manor style flat used to be over the gate.

circa 548 CE

Hagia Irene (Aya İrini )
The Hagia Irene Church was a Greek Eastern Orthodox church built under the orders of Emperor Constantine I over the ruins of a pagan temple as the first church in Constantinople. It served as the church of the Patriarchate until the Hagia Sophia basilica was built. In the 19th century it was converted in to a military museum displaying old weapons.

circa 1727 CE

The Imperial Mint (Darphane-i Amire)
The Imperial Mint dates back to the eighteenth century and produced the empire’s gold and silver coins. It is located inside the first courtyard of Topkapi Palace next to the Hagia Irene in Istanbul. The mint opened in 1727, but what is there today dates from the reign of Mahmut II (1808 - 39). It is now occupied by government offices.

circa 1580 CE

Clerk's Tower (Deavi Kasrı)
Not much remains (inspect) of this late sixteenth century CE structure. The structure, known as the Paper Emini Tower or Deavi Pavilion, with a pointed roof in the shape of a cone, located closest to the middle door, was where the petitions given by the public were received. Every day, one of the Kubbealtı viziers would come and collect the petitions given by the public, listen to the case owners and present the matter to the Court.

circa 1500 CE

Imperial Bakery (Has Firin)
The bakery gate opening into the first courtyard bears an inscription (inspect) with the date 1616. Located behind a monotonous stone wall towards the palace on the right, there are unique, mortar and fodla ovens, and a mosque with the wards of those who work in these furnaces. The bakeries that met the bread need of the palace operated until 1876, but after this date they were all completely extinguished. Now it serves as the entrance to a complex of buildings used as the restoration and technical laboratories of the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul.

circa

Water Tower (Su Terazisi)
The tower-like structure known as the Su Terazisi (literally: water balance) maintained water pressure when conveying water to neighborhoods at a high level. These tower had a cistern at the summit from which the water flowed into distribution pipes.

circa 1891 CE

Istanbul Archaeology Museums
The Istanbul Archaeology Museums (Turkish: İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri) are a group of three archaeological museums located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey, near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace. The museum has a large collection of Turkish, Hellenistic and Roman artifacts, many gathered from the vast former territories of the Ottoman Empire. The ornate Alexander Sarcophagus, once believed to be prepared for Alexander the Great, is among the most famous pieces of ancient art in the museum.