One of some pictures in Hall of the fountain, the second room after entering (2018 situation).

A notice indicates explains: renovated after the Harem fire of 1666 it was the entrance hall into the Harem, which was guarded by the Harem eunuchs. Several important rooms within and without the Harem connected to it. The walls are revetted with 17th century tiles from Kütahya. A horse block in front of the mosque (that would be the mosque in the Quarters of the guardsmen) served the Sultan to mount, sitting benches were for his guards. The fountain which gave the hall its name was “in the pool of [the] Privy Chamber of Murad III”. The latter part I do not understand, as that Chamber is much, much further, down several corridors.

After the hall there is a long open-air corridor, the Karaağalar’s Courtyard, that I’ll show next.