Konak (residence)

{{Infobox building

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|image1 = Bulgur Palace, Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul (12965606524).jpg

|caption1 = Bulgur Palas

|image2 = Prince Miloš's Residence, Topčider, Belgrade, Serbia.jpg

|caption2 = Residence of Prince Miloš

|image3 = Konak kneginje Ljubice, Bgd.JPG

|caption3 = Residence of Princess Ljubica

|image4 = Konaka Museum.jpg

|caption4 = Konaka Museum

|image5 = Thessaloniki old goverment house - before 1891.png

|caption5 = Thessaloniki Government House, before 1891

|image6 = Kadı Menteş Mansion side of the Selimiye Square.jpg

|caption6 = Kadı Menteş Mansion

|color = white

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Konak ({{langx|tr|konak}}, {{langx|el|κονάκι}}, {{langx|sr|конак}}, {{langx|sq|Konaku}}, {{langx|bg|конак}}) is a name for a house in Turkey and on the territories of the former Ottoman Empire, especially one used as an official residence for the elite members of the Ottoman society.{{cite journal |last=Borić |first=Tijana S. |date=2022 |title=The Obrenović Princely Court in Požarevac |journal=Zbornik radova Filozofskog fakulteta u Prištini |publisher=Faculty of Philosophy, University of Priština (North Mitrovica) |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=255-268 |doi=10.5937/zrffp52-33442 |url=https://scindeks.ceon.rs/article.aspx?artid=0354-32932201255B |doi-access=free }}

Characteristics

The konak, a transnational Ottoman architectural style, was commonly referred to as a “Turkish house” in Europe, though it was not inherently tied to any single nation or religion in the Ottoman Empire.{{cite journal |author1=Alexandre Saden |author2=Hande Sever |date=2020 |title=Corbusian Monumentality: The Legacy of the Konak from Vernacular System to Modernist Monument |journal=Getty Research Journal |publisher= |volume= |issue=12 |pages=49-72 |doi=10.1086/708315 |doi-access=free |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/331/article/910619 }} In the Ottoman Empire, konaks were prominent urban mansions, especially in Istanbul, which was considered home to the finest examples. After the empire’s fall, various nations rebranded konaks as part of their national heritage, often erasing their Ottoman roots. In Turkey, konaks were integrated into the national identity, while in places like Greece, their Ottoman elements were reinterpreted as Byzantine or Hellenic. Architect Le Corbusier admired Istanbul’s konaks, viewing them as exemplary during his 1911 travels.