The meaning of “space” as an architectural term differs depending on how people use and perceive an area. Because of this variance, the concept of space has been altered over time and appears before us in different forms. In this study, we examine the word “mâbeyn,” meaning “between two entities,” as an architectural term and explore how it has come under the influence of economic, political, social and cultural factors to ultimately contribute to the varieties of meanings given to the changes in style in the use of space. The diverse use of the mâbeyn offers various data that can be traced to Ottoman homes, pavilions, mansions and palaces, especially to the structure of three significant royal palaces. Our study starts from the use of the mâbeyn as a residential space and then evaluates the process of its transformation and its place in the structure of the palace, assessing this on the basis of various types of construction, in an effort to discover how the term has acquired so many layers of meaning, including significations that have not found their way into dictionaries.