Aslan Pasha Kitchen Complex

Ioannina, Greece

The hostel or kitchen complex is part of the early seventeenth century complex built by Aslan Pasha in the northeastern section of the Ioannina Citadel, though it was possibly constructed later, in the second half of the seventeenth century. The building has a square plan with an open porch, and is divided into two parts lengthwise, parallel to the porch. The more southern section is itself divided into two spaces, with one room covered with a hemispherical brick dome with a chimney, housing the main hearth. The location of the dome makes the building unique among other known examples of Ottoman kitchen complexes, as well as kitchens in Christian monasteries; typically the hearth is roofed by a dome that forms the center of a building, while at this site the dome is situated in the corner of the building. The other areas of the roof appear to have had tiled roofs.