VE - Ishak Pasha

Built on a high plateau through the end of eighteenth century, in eastern Turkey near Mount Ararat, Ishak Pasha Palace is a big complex whose construction started under the local governor Ishak Pasha, and finished 95 years later by his grandson Mehmet Pasha.

The palace with a dimension of 50m x 115m, is as large as a soccer field and includes a big courtyard, over 100 rooms and a mosque which can be seen on the picture. It is a mixture of many styles: Ottoman with respect to its plan, Seljukid with its front door and Turkestani with its dome.

Due to its proximity to the Russian and Persian borders of the empire, Ishak Pasa Palace suffered serious damage during several wars, beginning with the Russian seige in 1828. It went several restauration projects in recent years.