Dervis Pasha Mansion

Dervis Pasha Mansion (Derviş Paşa Konağı) is an historical mansion and ethnographic museum in the Arab Ahmet quarter of Nicosia, and considered to be one of the finest examples of Ottoman architecture in Cyprus.

It lies on Beliğ Paşa Street, has two floors, and was built on an earlier Gothic building on the same site. Built in 1801, it was repaired in 1869 with ornate wood carvings. It belonged at the end of the 19th century to Hacı Ahmet Derviş Efendi, who owned large swathes of land outside Nicosia and was the editor of Zaman newspaper, the first Turkish periodical in Cyprus published between 1891 – 1900. He was a leading figure in the Turkish Cypriot community and also a member of the assembly that ratified decisions of the British colonial administration.

The lower floor is made of stone, while the upper floor is adobe (mud brick). Its architecture is heavily Ottoman and reflects the lifestyle of the time. It has two entrance doors, one for men (selamlik) and one for women (harem). It has a large inner courtyard, which was used by household members for relaxation without exposure to the outside. It's considered to be one of the finest examples of Ottoman architecture with whitewashed walls, plain yellow-stoned arches, terracotta roof and blue woodwork. The main room, which is an extension expanding over the street, is ‘Baghdadi’ style, timber-framed with stone filling and a roof displaying eaves, like a bay window. In 1979, the mansion was in the danger of collapse and was purchased by the Turkish Cypriot state in 1981. Following renovation, it opened to visitors as an ethnographic museum on 21 March 1988. It was notable as the first significant renovation project in Northern Cyprus. Inside, examples of traditional Cypriot lifestyle, such as kitchen utensils, instruments for needlework, as well as old swords and historical clothes, are on display, while the furnishings of the bridal room, dining hall and living area, illustrate the household rituals of the time. The large inner courtyard was once used by the household for private recreation. The inhabitants of the mansion lived on the upper floor whilst the ground floor was allocated as servants’ quarters and used for storage.