Ishak Pasa Saray, Dogubeyazit
Ishak Pasa is situated on a high and vast platform of strategic importance on an area of 7600 meter square. The interior of the building is ornate, a fantastic mixture of Georgian, Persian, and Ottoman styles, though the gold-plated doors were carted off by Russian troops in 1917. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the whole of Turkey. It’s a good stopover while waiting to cross into Iran, or in my case before heading north and into Georgia.
Construction was started by Colak Abd? Pasha, the Ottoman governor of the province and was finished by his son, Ishak Pasha. 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. The palace consists of three successive sections; an outer courtyard and inner courtyard, followed by the harem section with its gardens. The entrance of the palace is on that side, and it is also its narrowest façade. The decorative scheme consists mostly of stone carving, featuring floral motifs such as entwining vine branches and grapes, geometric shapes and elaborate arabesques
The area is also famous for the rock formation assumed to be the remains of Noah’s ark. This ancient fortress/castle/mosque is stunningly beautiful, and is a must see when in Dougbeyazit. There is a direct bus that will take you to Trabzon from Dogubeyazit, for details please check my Trabzon page.
