The surviving Ottoman-era mansions on the citadel, such as Dar al-Tayfur, Dar Abdullah Effendi Yaqoubi, and Bayt al-Aris, exhibit distinct northern Mesopotamian domestic architecture. They feature central courtyards paved with river pebbles and limestone slabs, doorways and columns carved from local alabaster (al-farsh al-kirkuki), shaded iwans for summer cooling, upper-room plaster niches (chini-khana) for displaying porcelain, and projecting wooden window balconies (shenashil). For more: Kirkuk Citadel