Publication Date
It was probably built during the rule of Bayezid II (late 9th-10th / 15th-16th centuries). The first available document indicates that it underwent restoration in 926-927 / 1520-1521 by order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;27;ar
Library Location
Istanbul, above the former site of the Hippodrome, Türkiye
Date
It was probably built during the rule of Bayezid II (late 9th-10th / 15th-16th centuries). The first available document indicates that it underwent restoration in 926-927 / 1520-1521 by order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Notes
In Byzantine times, the Hippodrome was the focus of social life, and it continued to maintain this role during the Ottoman era, when it was known as the 'Hippodrome'. Ibrahimbasa Palace may have been built during the rule of Bayezid II on the ruins of the western amphitheater of the old Hippodrome. It seems surprising for Ottoman civil architecture, which usually used wood, that Ibrahimpaşa Palace was built of brick and stone on top of a cliff. Some sources describe it as similar to a castle, with its outer gates made of iron. Because the building is located on top of a slope, its main facade overlooking the Horse Square and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque consists of three floors: the base (basement or underground floor), the ground, and the upper, while the other parts of the building, which are located at the high level of the site, consist of only two floors. The palace was built around four courtyards surrounded by corridors. The first and second courtyards overlook the horse field, while the third and fourth courtyards retreat inward (and their place is occupied by the courthouse and its records). The first courtyard provides two entrances to the palace, and the second courtyard includes the ground floor, which is a hall with strong supports carrying barrel vaults perpendicular to the courtyard. As for the upper floor, it is surrounded by domed rooms located behind corridors that also have domes to the north and south. To the south is the Diwan, which the Sultan uses when he visits the palace on special occasions, such as circumcision ceremonies and weddings. The Summer Diwan consists of wooden columns on which a wooden roof rests, and a balcony overlooking the horse field, where the Sultan can watch the ceremonial performances. There are many miniatures in Ottoman manuscripts depicting festivals held in the horse field and followed by the Sultan from that balcony. On the western side is the winter courtyard. The third courtyard is surrounded by a 'U'-shaped building on three sides. The ground floor is a hall covered by vaults, while the upper floor has vaulted galleries in front of rooms that also have domes. The part surrounding the fourth courtyard of the palace, as well as the adjacent stables, were destroyed in 1939 to be replaced by the courthouse of the city of Istanbul. The third courtyard is currently used as a place for the archives of the court. Ibrahimbas Palace has undergone many changes and restorations following the devastation it suffered as a result of earthquakes, fires, and riots. It is the only example remaining today in Istanbul of the official palaces of the Ottoman Empire. The first courtyard is partly occupied by another Ottoman building hidden behind the Land Registry Department building, which also extends along the third section of the palace. The last restoration was completed between 1966 and 1983, and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts moved into the building in 1984.
Sample Text
“Ibrahim Pasha Palace” within Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;27;ar
