Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Palace Audio guide

The Palace of the Ottoman Urban Elite

Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Palace, also known as the Konak, is one of the most valuable secular monuments in old Nicosia. Built in 1793, it is the most important surviving example of urban architecture from the final period of Ottoman rule in Cyprus.

The building is associated with Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios, a dragoman, that is, the official interpreter of the Sultan's Divan. This was an exceptionally prestigious and politically sensitive post. Through it, Kornesios gained considerable influence and wealth, which eventually became one of the reasons for his downfall and execution in Constantinople in 1809.

Architecture and Use of the House

The palace is a two-storey building made of local sandstone. Its plan, in the shape of the Greek letter Pi, encloses a central courtyard with a garden and a fountain. The complex also includes a private hammam with three rooms, recalling the high standard of living enjoyed by the Ottoman urban elite.

The ground floor housed service areas, kitchens, and servants' quarters. The main domestic and representational life took place upstairs, reached by a covered wooden staircase. Special attention deserves the reception hall at the eastern end of the building, decorated with richly carved, gilded, and painted wood.

From Threatened Building to Museum

After a public rescue initiative, the house was opened to visitors in 1960. A major reconstruction earned it the Europa Nostra Award for heritage care in 1988. Today it houses the Cyprus Ethnological Museum, which brings visitors closer to everyday life, social conditions, and the setting of an urban house in Cyprus during the Ottoman era.