Ottoman Bird Palace
An important element of Turkish Ottoman architecture was the addition of aviaries to the facades of important city buildings, providing safe spaces for regular bird guests to nest outside mosques, hotels, bridges, libraries, schools, and fountains. Instead of a simple concrete structure, the aviary is an elaborate miniature building, ranging from a one-story dwelling to a multi-storey aviary.
In addition to providing shelter, the aviary fulfills a religious vision. It is believed that they will bring good deeds to those who build small houses. Through their abundance and care, these buildings inspire the Turkish public's love for animals.
It is designed to accommodate feathered friends and welcome them with an elaborate aviary. Birds are welcomed by ornate architecture in their unique way, they have bird-sized palaces that look like miniature versions of larger buildings: multi-storey mansions with balconies from which to observe the whole world. Some of these houses even include sinks or runways suitable for takeoff and landing.
The stunning aviary exemplifies the overall attitude of the Ottoman Turks towards animals. Buildings built between the 15th and 19th centuries AD were designed with the care and protection of living things in mind. Nicknames for bird homes such as "kuş köşkü" (bird pavilion) and "serçe saray" (sparrow palace) are examples of this. While some beautifully detailed homes are just for shelter, other aviaries feed winged creatures in cold weather or help care for them when they are sick.
In its heyday, almost every Turkish city had an aviary design. Over time, but today only relatively small options remain. The oldest example is the iteration of the Büyükçekmece bridge in Istanbul in the 16th century AD.
