Bab-i Humayun (First Gate)
The watercolor painted by an unknown artist in 1810 depicts a frontal view of the Imperial Gate, Bab-i-Hümayün, between the 18th century fountain of Sultan Ahmet III on the left and the minaret of Hagia Sophia on the right. The Bab-i-Hümayün is the first of three gates separating the Topkapi Palace from the city. Together with the crenellated outer wall, it was built in 1478 under Sultan Mehmet II, after the palace and the gardens had been finished. Though not visible in this watercolor, the gate is embellished with celi-sülüs style calligraphy and is inscribed with the tugras of Sultan Mehmet II as well as Abdulaziz. The gate is flanked on each side by a niche for the gatekeepers and seven windows sit above the cornice that crowns the gate. This upper part, including the manor style flat panel above the door was destroyed in a fire in 1866.
Artist Unknown, Bab-i-Hümayün (Imperial Gate) to Topkapi Sarayi, with the Fountain of Sultan Ahmet III, ca. 1810, watercolor, h 33.8 cm x w 44.5 cm, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Bab-I-Hümayün (he Imperial Gate),is the large gate that one comes upon surrounding the Topkapi Palace. It is the first of three gates separating the Topkapi Palace from the city. Together with the crenellated outer wall, it was built in 1478 under Sultan Mehmett II, after the palace and the gardens had been finished. Originally built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet and later restored by Sultan Mahmut II and Sultan Abdülaziz, the Imperial Gate is what everyone must enter through to reach the first courtyard of the palace complex. The first courtyard, or Alay Meydani, was where audiences with the public were held at the palace as well as where public ceremonies took place.
In this watercolor painting from 1810, we see a number of figures (including one atop a horse) approaching the Bab-i-Hümayün. Despite the largely muted color palette of the piece, each human figure depicted is dressed in orange, yellow, or green. Similarly, if analyzed more closely, the tile work above the main portal of the gate is decorated in orange, green and gold.