Bağdad Köşkü (Baghdad Kiosk), in the north corner of the palace.
Built in 1639. It was ordered by Murat IV to celebrate the reconquest of Baghdad.
Architect: Hasan Ağa, although Koca Kasim Ağa was royal architect at the time.

On the picture: A detail of the interior, where tiles from the 1st half of the 16th century were reused. Gilded woodwork and inlaid shutters and doors add to the magnificence of the place. This pavilion is one of the last examples of the classical palace architecture (as is the nearby Revan Köşkü too).

Marquetry, with inlays of ivory, tortoise-shell and mother-of-pearl became one of the major decorative arts in Ottoman times. Because of its luminous and multicolored reflection, mother-of-pearl was particularly popular, in spite of its hardness and brittle nature, which made its treatment complicated.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Istanbul, Topkapı paleis’ (Atrium cultuurgidsen) & Personal visits (1978-1986-1993-1996).