Saray, or seray (also spelt saraya or seraya), is a Turkish word from , traditionally translated as serail or seraglio via Italian influence. The term is usually referred to:

  • Saray (building), a castle/palace/headquarters in the Ottoman Empire,

or, per derivation:

  • Saray (harem), the sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines in an Ottoman household

It may also refer to:

Buildings

  • Palace of the Shirvanshahs is a 15th-century palace built by the Shirvanshahs and described by UNESCO as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture"
  • Bogdan Saray, an Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul, Turkey
  • Ismailiyya Palace is a historical building that currently serves as the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan
  • Gulustan Palace during the Soviet era is the main state convention center of the Azerbaijani government
  • Grand Serail, Ottoman barracks and seat of the prime minister of Lebanon
  • Petit Serail, an administrative building in Ottoman Beirut, destroyed in 1951
  • Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, a resort located on the west crescent of The Palm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • Agha Gahraman Mirsiyab Saray is an 18th-century Azerbaijani saray and caravanserai located in Karabakh region of Azerbaijan
  • Seraya, Nazareth, an 18th-century palace built by Sheikh Daher al-Umar in Nazareth.

Places

Azerbaijan

  • Saray, Absheron
  • Saray, Qubadli

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Sarajevo, the capital city and largest urban centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Iran

  • Saray, East Azerbaijan
  • Saray, Marand, East Azerbaijan Province
  • Saray, Osku, East Azerbaijan Province
  • Saray, Hamadan
  • Saray, Isfahan
  • Saray-ye Sheykh Ali
  • Saray Mohammad Hoseyn

Iraq

  • Saray Azadi, a square in the old town centre in the Kurdish city of Sulaymania

Turkey

  • Saray, Kahramankazan, a neighbourhood in Kahramankazan district of Ankara Province
  • Saray, Tekirdağ, a district and municipality in Tekirdağ Province
  • Saray, Van, a district and municipality in Van Province
  • Sarayburnu, a promontory in Istanbul, where the Topkapı Palace stands
  • Bahçesaray, Van, a district and municipality in Van Province, literally "garden palace"

Ukraine

  • Bakhchysaray (Bağçasaray/Bahçesaray), the former capital of the Crimean Khanate, literally "garden palace", and the name-sake Raion.

People

  • Saray García (born 1984), Spanish footballer
  • Seray Kaya (born 1991), Turkish actress
  • Tum Saray (born 1992), Cambodian footballer
  • Saray Mulk Khanum (1343–1406), Empress of the Timurid Empire as the chief consort of Timur

Other uses

  • Saray Masjid, is a mosque of the 15th century, which is included in Shirvanshah's palace complex in Baku, Azerbaijan
  • Saray helva, a popular Turkish confectionery
  • Saray (military unit), a military unit in the Arab world

See also

  • Sarah (disambiguation)
  • Sarai (disambiguation)
  • Saraya (disambiguation)
  • Seraiah, a Hebrew name
  • Seraya (disambiguation)
  • Saray hamam, is bath houses, dated back to the 15th century and are a part of the Shirvanshahs' Palace Complex in Azerbaijan
  • Galatasaray (disambiguation)
  • Caravanserai, a kind of roadside inn