Qara Saray, "The Black Palace," was a palace complex on the west bank of the Tigris that served as the seat of Mosul's governors during the Ottoman period. The structure dates to the medieval period and was expanded and modified over the centuries as the city changed hands between different rulers. Its prominent position on the riverbank made it the visual centrepiece of the city's waterfront.
The palace was already in ruins before the conflict — centuries of neglect, Ottoman-era demolitions, and later urban development had reduced it to foundations and partial walls. What survives gives a sense of the scale of the original structure and its relationship to the river. The surrounding area on the northern edge of the Old City retains some of the most intact Ottoman-era streetscape remaining in Mosul, making it worth exploring on foot.