Once you are inside the palace, you will be on a long path that passes through the First Courtyard. This is the largest garden located in the outermost layer of the complex. This area was accessible to the public during daytime hours. Citizens of the Ottoman Empire were allowed into this courtyard to attend ceremonial events such as funerals and military parades. A public procession by the royals and top-rank officials would be held in this garden on the morning of every Friday. The sultans, guards, ministers, and administrators would pass through this courtyard on their way to the mosques for the congregational prayers.

Each time you pass through a gate that leads deeper into the palace, you will notice a stepping up in the hierarchy. The next gate will reveal the Second Courtyard, which houses the administrative facilities of the Topkapi Palace. Before we reach that section, a slight downhill path will appear on your left-hand side. Please bear in mind, while leaving the Topkapi Palace Museum, that this cobblestone path leads to the Istanbul Archaeological Museums and Gülhane Parks, which are two options to consider if you wish to continue exploring this area.

Stepping through the Gate of Salutation, we enter the Second Courtyard. This was, first and foremost, the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire. In this courtyard of the Topkapi Palace, you might see the rooms and halls that once belonged to the political, financial, and bureaucratic institutions and to the kitchens.

In a more specific way, the primary room in this garden of Topkapi Palace is the Divan, where the regular state meeting were held by the ministers and bureaucrats of its time. Two attached rooms towards the corner are housing some collections now but they were to keep money and records (treasury and archives).

Another significant role of this area was to serve as a stage for various kinds of ceremonies, such as for receiving an envoy or ambassador, celebrations of major events including enthronements and religious holidays, and the army’s departure for a campaign.

Passing through the Gate of Felicity of the Topkapi Palace, we leave the public and administrative parts of the palace behind and enter a part of the complex designed for the sultans’ private lives. Just as the Harem section was the residential quarter for women and children, this Inner Palace section was for the male circle around the ruler.

The palace people called this courtyard Enderûn, an originally Persian word meaning “inside.” This inner palace community was designed like an elite school and produced the highest-ranked statesmen, bureaucrats, and artisans of the empire while also serving the sultan personally. This is why the largest library of the palace is located in the center of this garden, surrounded by dormitories.