Bağdad Köşkü
Bağdad Köşkü stands within Istanbul’s historic Topkapı Palace, where cut stone, marble, and coloured tiles shape an Ottoman pavilion. Its octagonal plan centres on a domed room and four vaulted iwans. White marble columns with almond-motif capitals support the portico, while green-painted wooden beams mark the ceiling above.
Construction began during Sultan Murad IV’s Baghdad campaign and finished in 1639, giving the retreat its commemorative purpose. Classical Ottoman art fills the interior through detailed ceramic tiles and colourful marble surfaces. Tiles cover the walls from floor to dome, including Quranic inscriptions, while the exact origins of some ceramics remain unknown.
During the reigns of Sultan Abdülhamid I and Sultan Selim III, the pavilion served as a library. Ebony doors and shutters carry inlays of ivory, mother-of-pearl, and tortoiseshell. Hexagonal floor tiles and geometric latticework on the lower window gratings complete the close-up details.
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