ISHAK PALACE PAŞA (ISHAK PAŞA SARAYI)

Perched at the top of a valley, and dominated in turn by Mount Ararat, this palace is the best example of architecture from the Tulip Period under the Ottoman Empire. The construction of Ishak Paşa is said to have begun in 1685 and lasted no less than 99 years. This jewel of 17th and 18th century architecture has nothing to envy to the palaces of Topkapı or Edirne. It includes an inner courtyard, a mosque, a hammam, a harem, a prison, and there are Persian and Seljuk influences.