Topkapı Palace

Timeline

1. 1453–1458Old Palace (Eski Saray), Third Hill, Constantinople · IstanbulAfter Mehmed II captured Constantinople, he first built the Old Palace (Eski Saray) in the former Byzantine city center as a temporary residence, while beginning to transform Constantinople into the new Ottoman capital—bringing in population, repairing infrastructure, and constructing mosques and the Grand Bazaar.
2. c. 1459–1460Sarayburnu Point, First Hill · Fatih DistrictMehmed II selected Sarayburnu Point, where the Bosphorus, Golden Horn, and Sea of Marmara meet, as the site for the new palace, launching planning and foundation work for the "New Palace" (Yeni Saray, later known as Topkapı Sarayı). Initial construction included outer walls, the First Courtyard, and parts of the inner palace structures; the site choice served both strategic defense and the symbolic ambitions of the empire.
3. c. 1461–1465Second and Third Courtyards of Topkapı Palace · IstanbulThe first construction phase established the spatial order of Topkapı Palace's "concentric courtyards": the First Courtyard was open to outer officials, the Second Courtyard housed the Imperial Council Chamber (Divan-ı Hümayun) as the core of imperial governance, and the Third Courtyard formed the sultan's inner palace (Enderun), reflecting the strict hierarchical access system of the Ottoman court (the embryonic harem-selamlık division). This layout persisted and guided the expansions of subsequent sultans.