“Bravely climb up the few stairs that would take you to the inner court, no one would say a thing. Even the most bigoted Turk would not object, as you are now in a “open public space”.” René du Parquet, a French man who worked and lived in ?stanbul between 1863-64, defines the inner courtyard of Yeni Cami, in Eminönü, as an “open public space”. He also emphasizes its sanctity, mentioning that it is so holy that merchants feel comfortable storing valuable goods there. In the early eighteenth century, the author ?emdanizade gave other striking examples of the non-religious use of mosque courtyards. For example, he mentions men and women riding ferris-wheels, swings, and carousels placed in the courtyards of Bayezid and Fatih mosques, among other locations. The use of mosque courtyards for such secular occasions raises the question of what other social functions and events could take place in these spaces. Did the inner and outer courtyards have different religious or social meanings? Were they both considered (and used) as open public spaces? So far, there has been little discussion about the mosque courtyards in which Istanbulites gathered, shopped, discussed social and political issues, demanded justice, took refuge during disasters – in other words, important places in which everyday life took place. The studies which focus on Istanbul mosques either examine courtyards on a purely formal level or in the context of “garden of heaven” symbolism. However, along with their direct spatial relation with mosques, these open and semi-open spaces deserve to be given consideration for their various socio-cultural dimensions. This paper attempts to define the inner and outer mosque courtyards architecturally and socially and explores the cultural dimensions of mosque courtyards in early modern Istanbul.