Ishak Pasha Palace

Ishak Pasha Palace stands on a rocky terrace above the plain of Doğubayazıt, close to the Iranian border, with the snow cone of Mount Ararat filling the horizon behind. From a distance it looks like a fairy-tale citadel of honey-coloured stone, domes and a slender minaret against bare mountains; closer up it turns out to be one of the most finely carved buildings of the late Ottoman world, and one of the few great palaces of the period built far from Istanbul.

Work began in 1685 under Çolak Abdi Pasha of the Çıldıroğulları, a Kurdish family who governed the region, and continued for about a century; it was finished in 1784 under his descendant Ishak Pasha, after whom it is named. The site was chosen with care: it watched over a branch of the old caravan routes between Anatolia and Persia. Builders working in this frontier zone mixed what they knew, and the palace combines Ottoman planning with Persian, Seljuk, Armenian and Georgian craftsmanship. That blend is what makes it so distinctive.

The complex is laid out around two courtyards entered through monumental gates, the main portal framed by deep honeycomb muqarnas in the Seljuk manner. Beyond lie the men's quarters, the harem, a council hall, a mosque with its dome and minaret, a bath, a bakery, kitchens and dungeons, around 366 rooms in all and even an early central heating system. Look closely at the stone: doorways, window surrounds and columns are covered in floral scrolls, geometric patterns and arabesques. The octagonal tomb in the courtyard, decorated in the Seljuk tradition, holds members of the founding dynasty. Not everything survived: the gold-plated harem doors were carried off during the Russian occupation in the 19th century and are now in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.

Earthquakes and wars left the palace roofless for a long time, and the modern restoration that covered parts of it with glass and timber remains controversial, but the building still has a rare atmosphere. On the hillside above sits the old Doğubayazıt castle with an old mosque below it, and nearby is the tomb of the 17th-century Kurdish poet Ahmad Khani, a place of pilgrimage in its own right. Late afternoon light on the carved stone, with Ararat behind, is the view to wait for.

Getting there

The palace is about 5 km from the town of Doğubayazıt in Ağrı Province. The nearest airport is Iğdır Airport (IGD), roughly 55 km away, with domestic flights from Istanbul and Ankara; Van is a little over two hours away by road. There is parking opposite the entrance.