Ishak Pasha Palace ( tr, İshak Paşa Sarayı) is a semi-ruined palace and administrative complex located in the Doğubeyazıt district of

Ağrı province The Ağrı Province ( tr, Ağrı ili, ku, Parêzgeha Agiriyê) is a province in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran to the east, Kars to the north, Erzurum to the northwest, Muş and Bitlis to the southwest, Van to the south, and Iğdır to the no ...

of eastern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. The Ishak Pasha Palace is an Ottoman-period palace whose construction was started in 1685 by the bey of the Beyazit province Colak Abdi Pasha of the Cildirogullari, a family of hereditary pashas related to the

House of Jaqeli The House of Jaqeli ( ka, ჯაყელი) was a Georgian princely ('' mtavari'') family and a ruling dynasty of the Principality of Samtskhe, an offshoot of the House of Chorchaneli. History "Jaqeli", literally meaning "of/from Jaqi", was ...

. Construction was continued by Ishak Pasha, a descendant of Abdi Pasha, who was to give his name to the palace and became the pasha of Çıldır from 1790 to 1791. According to the inscription on its door, the

Harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

section of the palace was completed by Ishak (Isaac) Pasha in 1784. The Ishak Pasha Palace is one of the few examples of surviving historical Turkish palaces. The palace was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 100 new lira banknote of 2005–2009.

History

Building of the palace commenced in 1685 and continued for decades. The work was finished in 1784 or 1785 CE. The palace was damaged by an earthquake in 1840 and for some time abandoned, but partly restored over the next 20 years. It was again damaged during the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...

(1877-1878). The structure was later used by Russians and during World War I when it was damaged by gunfire. Later, the palace was used as the administrative centre for the area, and later as a military fort until 1937. Additional damage was caused later when stone from the building was taken for use to build new homes. In 2000, the palace was added to the UNESCO Tentative List of

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The UNESCO summary states:

Palace on the
Silk Route The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...
near the Iranian frontier ... It is not at all in the Ottoman tradition but is rather a mixture of Anatolian, Iranian and North Mesopotamian architectural tradition. The traditional model used in the construction of the Royal Palaces in the capital cities like Bursa, Edirne and Istanbul was taken as an example in the design of Ishak Pasha Palace. The western influence in Ottoman architecture during the post-classical period can be observed...

Major structural problems were found during a 2004 restoration and not fully repaired. In During a subsequent restoration, a new roof was added, as well as a shelter over some parts of the palace, made of wood and glass. Naturally, this changed the historic character of the palace. Another restoration started in 2011. Visits are possible for a fee; visitors can view the Urartian rock tombs discovered in 1830 and said to be from centuries ago, perhaps between the 13th and the 9th century BCE.

Sections of the palace

The complex consists of following sections: * Exterior façades * First and second courts * The men's quarter (selamlık) * The mosque * The soup kitchen (Darüzziyafe) * Bath *

section * Hall for ceremonies and entertainment * Arch gates * Pantries and ammunition room * The mausoleum * The bakery * Dungeons * central heating system The characteristic property of the palace is its combined Ottoman,

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, and

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

architectural style.

Gallery

File:04400_Yukarıtavla-Doğubayazıt-Ağrı,_Turkey_-_panoramio_(12).jpg, Details of interior File:00 2404 Ishak Pasha Palace - Turkey.jpg, Ishak Pasha Palace, Turkey. File:Ishak Pasa DSC 5674.jpg, Interior view of the Palace File:Ishak Paşa Sarayı2.jpg, Looking up to the dome of the Palace File:00 3411 İshak Paşa Sarayı - Turkey.jpg, Ishak Pasha Palace, Doğubeyazıt, File:Ishak Paşa Sarayı3.jpg, view from courtyard File:Ishak Paşa Sarayı-1.jpg, interior File:IshakPasaSarayi.jpg, entrance to complex

References

External links

Hundreds of pictures showing the sarayDrone view, aerial shots from Ishak Pasha Palace
Ottoman palaces Palaces in Turkey Doğubayazıt Buildings and structures in Ağrı Province Tourist attractions in Ağrı Province World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey {{Ağrı-geo-stub

History

Sections of the palace

Gallery

See also

References

External links