Makbul – Maktul İbrahim Pasha and the Riddles of His Palace
Prof. Nurhan Atasoy
In her conference, Prof. Atasoy discussed Sultan Süleyman I’s famous grand vizier Damat İbrahim Pasha and his palace at Sultanhamet Square, which currently serves as the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art.
Often the subject of diverse views and claims, İbrahim Pasha was undeniably a valuable statesman, commander, and intellectual who oversaw the administration of the Empire for thirteen years, spoke several languages, played various instruments, and composed music. Through miniatures, photographs, drawings, and archive documents, Prof. Atasoy presented İbrahim Pasha and the history of his house –the only vizier palace in İstanbul used uninterruptedly since the 16th century–, its architectural features and stages, the evolution of its character over time, the historic and cultural events it has witnessed, and the process the palace has undergone in the 1930s when, despite efforts to lend the building a new character, a large portion of it was demolished and transformed into the Palace of Justice by architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem.
Those who missed the conference can watch it here (video language is Turkish):