GPS : 41°01'37.0"N 28°57'04.0"E / 41.026944, 28.951111
PHOTOGRAPHS ALBUM
The complex is located in the Yavuz Sultan Selim I neighbourhood of Fatih. This was one of the least accesible areas of the city with the Kırk Merdiven cliffs on one side and a deep cistern on the other. The Sultan Selim complex which was built by Suleiman the Magnificient in memory of his father, Yavuz Sultan Selim I, during the years 1516-1522 in the Sultan Selim area of the Fatih district on a hill which overlooks the Haliç (Golden Horn).
It consists of a mosque, a soup-kitchen (imaret), a Sıbyan mektebi (Ottoman elementary-primary school), a darüşşifa (hospital), a Turkish bath, and a tomb. The buildings occupy the fifth hill of the historic peninsula, a prominent site adjoining the fifth century open air cistern Aspar.
Commissioned by Süleyman I (Kanuni, the Magnificent, 1520-1566) in honor of his late father Selim I (Yavuz Sultan Selim, 1512-1520), the Sultan Selim I Complex was completed in 1522, as stated on the inscriptive plaque on the mosque portal. Only the mosque, hospices, Quranic School and royal tombs remain from the larger complex that also included a hostel for pilgrims, a madrasa, double baths and soup kitchen. The soup kitchen to the north of the precinct was replaced by a girl's school in 1917; it contained a kitchen and stables.
The complex is located in an outer courtyard which rings the complex. The area designated for late-arriving worshippers is encircled by 18 columns and 22 domes. The 20 windows around the courtyard are covered with glazed tile panels, which are among the finest examples of the period. The portico of the courtyard is decorated with floral designs. A reservoir for ablutions is found in the centre of the courtyard. It is domed with eight marble pillars.
The mosque is situated in the middle of a large outer courtyard, and its enterance faces a cloistered inner courtyard that can be entered through three different directions from the outer courtyard, and which is encircled by 22 domes. There is an extraordinary fountain with eight columns located in the middle of the inner courtyard. The main area of the mosque is covered by a dome of 24.5 meters in diameter.
When both the size and height of the dome’s design are taken into a consideration, there is a clear attempt for it to dominate the main space of the mosque.. There is a respondent platform (müezzin mahfili), located on six small colums on the righthand side of the Harim (sanctum sanctorum) and an eye-pleasing Hünkar Mahfili (royal residence) is raised on eight columns on the left hand side.
The enclosed cemetery on the kiblah, or Mecca, side of the mosque contains of the remains of Yavuz Sultan Selim, the heirs of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent who died at a young age, his daughters and three tombs belonging to Sultan Abdülmecid. Of these, the window shutters, door, and wooden banister of the mausoleum belonging to Yavuz Sultan Selim are masterpieces in mother-of-pearl relief. Other than the mosque and mausoleum, the only structure which has survived to the present is the primary school, located in the outer courtyard.
Evliya Çelebi, a famous traveller and historian, stated that cages with gilding in the royal residence had been added by Sultan Ibrahim (1615 – 1648). The inlaying used on tile panels, which are located on the door of qibla and on several window arches, adds to the artistic value to these elements. In addition, the inlaid marble pulpit and two minarets with single balconies attract the attention of visitors to this plain mosque.
There are two minarets with a single gallery each, and rooms on both sides of the mosque for the imam and müezzin. The shutters of the door are fine examples of engraving and mother-of-pearl relief. The mosque is square in shape and extremely simple in design. The pulpit is made of ornamented marble.
The enclosed cemetery on the kiblah, or Mecca, side of the mosque contains of the remains of Yavuz Sultan Selim, the heirs of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent who died at a young age, his daughters and three tombs belonging to Sultan Abdülmecid. Of these, the window shutters, door, and wooden banister of the mausoleum belonging to Yavuz Sultan Selim are masterpieces in mother-of-pearl relief. Other than the mosque and mausoleum, the only structure which has survived to the present is the primary school, located in the outer courtyard.
Commissioned by Sultan Süleyman I (Kanuni, the Magnificent, 1520-1566) in honor of his late father Sultan Selim I (Yavuz Sultan Selim, 1512-1520), the Sultan Selim I Complex was completed in 1522, as stated on the inscriptive plaque on the mosque portal. Only the mosque, hospices, Quranic School and royal tombs remain from the larger complex that also included a hostel for pilgrims, a madrasa, double baths and soup kitchen. The soup kitchen to the north of the precinct was replaced by a girl's school in 1917; it contained a kitchen and stables.
The mosque and its rectangular, walled precinct are aligned with qibla on the northwest-southeast axis. Three gates, located at the south corner (Türbe Kapısı), west corner (Çarşı Kapısı) and along the northwest wall, lead into the precinct. The mosque, with its cemetery, occupies the southeast end of the precinct and is composed of a single-domed prayer hall preceded by a large, arcaded courtyard and flanked by square hospice wings.
The mosque courtyard is entered from a main portal facing northwest, and two side portals. It is enveloped on three sides with an arcade of eighteen bays, continued with the six-bays of the prayer hall portico to the northwest. The bays of the arcade and portico are covered with domes, while the two bays adjoining the courtyard and prayer hall portals support lofty mirror vaults. An octagonal ablution fountain, covered with a domed canopy built by Sultan Murad IV (1623-1640), occupies the center of a courtyard, surrounded by four cypress trees. Grilled windows give views from the courtyard arcade onto the precinct; each window is adorned with a floral tile panel in its tympanum.
A muqarnas portal leads into the prayer hall, which measures twenty-four and a half meters per side - two bays shorter than the width of the portico. It is capped at thirty-two and a half meters by a single dome that rests on pendentives between four grand arches embedded in the walls. The interior is lit by four casement windows on each wall, which are topped by arched windows that display colored glass arabesques. Windows pierced at the base of the shallow dome are separated by buttresses on the exterior.
The exposed stone interior is decorated simply with inscriptive medallions bearing the names of God, the Prophet and Caliphs. Muqarnas carvings adorn the hood of the marble mihrab on the qibla wall, while the marble minbar to its right is carved with arabesque motifs highlighted in red, black and gold. The marble müezzin's platform (müezzin mahfili) abuts the southwest wall and is raised over six square pillars.
The large sultan's lodge, also of marble with eight precious columns, occupies the eastern corner of the prayer hall. It was constructed in the mid-sixteenth century, and is accessed only from the outside, with steps built into the northeast wall. Examples of period woodwork can be seen on doors, windowpanes and the ceiling below the sultan's lodge.
The hospice wings on either side of the prayer hall consist of nine domed bays that form a cross-shaped central hall and four corner rooms. The halls are entered from the prayer hall, or from the exterior. Two minarets with muqarnas balconies are attached to either end of the mosque portico where it meets the two hospice wings. The prayer hall, hospice and minarets were restored in 1930 and 1962, and most recently beginning in 2003.
Grilled windows give views from the courtyard arcade onto the precinct; each window is adorned with a floral tile panel in its tympanum. A muqarnas portal leads into the prayer hall, which measures twenty-four and a half meters per side - two bays shorter than the width of the portico. It is capped at 32,5 meters by a single dome that rests on pendentives between four grand arches embedded in the walls.
The interior is lit by four casement windows on each wall, which are topped by arched windows that display colored glass arabesques. Windows pierced at the base of the shallow dome are separated by buttresses on the exterior. The exposed stone interior is decorated simply with inscriptive medallions bearing the names of God, the Prophet and Caliphs. Muqarnas carvings adorn the hood of the marble mihrab on the qibla wall, while the marble minbar to its right is carved with arabesque motifs highlighted in red, black and gold.
The marble muezzin's platform (müezzin mahfili) abuts the southwest wall and is raised over six square pillars. The large sultan's lodge, also of marble with eight precious columns, occupies the eastern corner of the prayer hall. It was constructed in the mid-sixteenth century, and is accessed only from the outside, with steps built into the northeast wall. Examples of period woodwork can be seen on doors, windowpanes and the ceiling below the sultan's lodge.
It was built by taking samples of mosques in Edirne, and it is one of the last examples of a mosque with hostels. The mosque is situated in the middle of a large outer courtyard, and its enterance faces a cloistered inner courtyard that can be entered through three different directions from the outer courtyard, and which is encircled by 22 domes. There is an extraordinary fountain with eight columns located in the middle of the inner courtyard. The main area of the mosque is covered by a dome of 24.5 meters in diameter.
The mosque is located in an outer courtyard which rings the complex. The area designated for late-arriving worshippers is encircled by 18 columns and 22 domes. The 20 windows around the courtyard are covered with glazed tile panels, which are among the finest examples of the period. The portico of the courtyard is decorated with floral designs.
A reservoir for ablutions is found in the center of the courtyard. It is domed with eight marble pillars. There are two minarets with a single gallery each and rooms on both sides of the mosque for the imam and müezzin. The shutters of the door are fine examples of engraving and mother-of-pearl relief. The mosque is square in shape and extremely simple in design.
When both the size and height of the dome’s design are taken into a consideration, there is a clear attempt for it to dominate the main space of the mosque. There is a respondent platform (müezzin mahfili), located on six small colums on the righthand side of the Harim (sanctum sanctorum) and an eye-pleasing Hünkar Mahfili (royal residence) is raised on eight columns on the left hand side.
The mosque was built on a terrace overlooking the Cistern of Aspar, the largest of the three Roman reservoirs in Constantinople. The large courtyard (avlu) has a colonnaded portico with columns of various types of marble and granite. The mosque itself is decorated with very early examples of İznik tiles. The mosque is flanked by twin minarets.
The interior plan of the mosque is a simple square room, 24.5 meters on each side, covered by a shallow dome 32.5 meters in height. As with the Hagia Sophia, the dome is much shallower than a full hemisphere. The windows are decorated with lunettes of İznik tiles. To the north and south of the main room, domed passages led to four small domed rooms, which were intended to function as hospices for traveling dervishes.
Madrasah
On the Adnan Menderes Street, the madrasah was built by Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent for his father, Sultan Selim I. The 20 rooms of the madrasah, built by the Architect Sinan, surround the three sides of the courtyard. The madrasah’s classroom was transformed into a mosque in 1562 by adding a minaret.
Damaged in the fire of 1819, the minaret of the madrasah collapsed in 1942. The madrasah was abandoned after a fire while it was being used as soup kitchen in 1918. During the roadwork of Vatan Street in 1958, the madrasah was repaired and it functioned as the Turkish Calligraphy Museum between 1968 and 1980.
It was built by Mimar Sinan according to Tezkiretü’l-Ebniye, Tezkiretü’l Bünyan and Tuhfetü’l Mimarin which gives the list of artifacts of Mimar Sinan. There is no inscription which states the date of construction. But in sources it is stated that it was built in 1548-1549. The lecture hall was transformed to mescid (a small mosque) in 1562-1563 and a minaret and mimbar were added.
Madrasa was constructed with ashlar sandstone and brick in patches and was surrounded with walls. A monumental entrance was added to this wall’s front towards Aksaray and a fountain which has no tablet was added next to it. The courtyard is reached through a second port after this entrance which was covered with dome. Madrasa alcoves are lined up in U shape around this courtyard. The madrasa consists of nineteen alcoves and surrounds the three sides of the courtyard with an iwan.
Water-tank with a fountain in the middle of courtyard could not reach our day. Domed and hooped porches which were located on stone pillars in front of madrasa alcoves are combined each other with aspheric cinctures. The alcoves which are square planned are covered with pendentive domes. These alcoves are opened to porches via a door. They have three windows for each toward outside being two of them above and one below. Yashmaks of inner fireplaces have not reached our day. Tetragonal and hexagonal prismatic chimneys of fireplaces are shaped as leaded high cones.
Lecture room of madrasa is in direction of south-west and is slid towards symmetric axis of courtyard. Only its porch part is in courtyard and main body of the lecture room effused outside. Entrance porch of lecture room is covered with a hipped roof. A stalactite mihrab is located on the entrance of square planned lecture room. Two sub-windows and two top-windows are on four faces. The lecture room is covered with a pendentive dome and the passage to dome is provided via squinches. Inner adornment of its first construction has not reached our day.
Madrasa was damaged by a fire which was around after 1914, was used as soup kitchen in 1918 and was ruined by another fire in same year. Madrasa which came into the open during the making of Vatan Caddesi was restored by General Directorate of Foundations between 1958 and 1962. After that it was used as donation storage of Istanbul Principal Directorate of Foundations which consists of written works and carpets.
Royal Tombs
Four royal tombs are located in the cemetery behind the mosque's qibla wall. Made of cut stone, the tombs have octagonal plans and are covered with domes. The larger tomb of Yavuz Sultan Selim is distinguished by a portico with a shed roof carried on four columns. Past the wooden doors inlaid with mother of pearl is an entry vestibule adorned with two large tile panels. Its interior was repainted based on the original decorative scheme.
It contains the sarcophogus of Sultan Selim I (1465-1520), which is placed in the grave of the complex in the direction of the qibla, and a white caftan is hung at the head of the sarcophogus. This famous caftan, which belonged to Sultan Selim I, was splashed with mud by a horse of İbni Kemal, who was a scholar of that period. There is a porch in the tomb decorated with panels of tiles of unique design. The doors and windows of the building are enriched with mother of pearls.
The tomb facing Yavuz Sultan Selim I to the northeast holds the graves of the three sons of Sultan Süleyman I and two daughters of Sultan Selim I, and is known of the Tomb of Royal Princes (Şehzadeler Türbesi) where the three sons of Sultan Süleyman I and his two sisters and two daughters of Sultan Selim I were buried.
The tomb of Ayşe Hafsa Sultan (wife of Sultan Selim I and mother of Sultan Süleyman I) can be seen to the right next to the tomb of Sultan Selim I. The octagonal tomb that Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent ordered Sinan the Architect to build for his children who died in their early childhood dates to 1522. Tomb was damaged in the 1894 earthquake. Only remains of the walls of this tomb and iron bars of the windows survived till today .
The tomb of Sultan Abdülmecit, dated 1861, is the work of architect Garabet Balyan. Sultan Abdülmecit, who paid a special attention on Sultan Selim I, had the tomb shortened when he noticed his was higher. Beyond it is a similar tomb that holds the grave Sultan Abdülmecid, among others members of the royal family.
Caravanserai - Hospices
The low buildings adjacent to the minarets on the both side of the mosque are Tabhane (caravanserai - hospices). The hospice wings on either side of the prayer hall consist of nine domed bays that form a cross-shaped central hall and four corner rooms. The halls are entered from the prayer hall, or from the exterior. Two minarets with muqarnas balconies are attached to either end of the mosque portico where it meets the two hospice wings. The prayer hall, hospice and minarets were restored in 1930 and 1962, and most recently beginning in 2003.
Quranic School
The Quranic School (sibyan mektebi) is located on the northwest corner of the precinct, adjoining the Bazaar Gate (Çarşı Kapısı). It is single domed structure with a two-bay portico to its south. It has eight windows placed in two tiers on two walls. It was rebuilt after the 1918 fire and is currently used as a library.
Soup Kitchen
The imaret (kitchen) of the complex was destroyed in the earthquake of 1894 and the bath was destroyed over the course of time. Today, the building that was built by the Architect Kemaleddin on the imaret’s site in 1917 is Yavuz Selim Vocational High School for girls.
Sıbyan Mektebi
Sıbyan Mektebi, built at the entrance of outer courtyard, are the structures which still exist today.
Tabhane
The low buildings adjacent to the minarets on the both side of the mosque are Tabhane (caravanserai - hospices). The hospice wings on either side of the prayer hall consist of nine domed bays that form a cross-shaped central hall and four corner rooms. The halls are entered from the prayer hall, or from the exterior. Two minarets with muqarnas balconies are attached to either end of the mosque portico where it meets the two hospice wings. The prayer hall, hospice and minarets were restored in 1930 and 1962, and most recently beginning in 2003.
Primary School
The single domed primary school with a porch measuring 9.9 x 9.9 m was restored in 1960 after it had been ruined in the fire of 1918. The Quranic School (sibyan mektebi) is located on the northwest corner of the precinct, adjoining the Bazaar Gate (Çarşı Kapısı). It is single domed structure with a two-bay portico to its south. It has eight windows placed in two tiers on two walls. It was rebuilt after the 1918 fire and is currently used as a library.
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