D'ARONCO, Raimondo
(b. 1857, Gemona, Udine, d. 1932, San Remo)

Sheikh Zafir complex

1903
Photo
Besiktas, Istambul

In 1893, with Ernesto Sambuy as an intermediary, he was invited by Abdülhamid II, Sultan of Turkey, to oversee the design of the national Ottoman Exhibition in Constantinople (now Istanbul). Although this was subsequently cancelled because of the earthquake that damaged the capital, D’Aronco was commissioned to rebuild the palace at Yildiz. Here an extensive programme of work over the next ten years included a layout for the park (1895-97), the archives building (1896), and on the hill the delightful ogee-domed, Stile Liberty library and tomb of Sheikh Zafir (1903).

The photo shows the Stile Liberty library and tomb of Sheikh Zafir in the park.