KILIÇ ALİ PAŞA MOSQUE

Tophane Square - Istanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°01'36.0"N 28°58'51.0"E / 41.026667, 28.980833



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Situated in the Tophane Square, it is a small complex consisting of a mosque, a religious school, a tomb, a public fountain and a hamam. It was built by Architect Sinan on the orders of Admiral Kılıç Ali Paşa. It is one of the last projects of Architect Sinan's later works. Sinan being the most famous of all Ottoman architects. Kılıç Ali Paşa was the grand admiral of the Ottoman Navy between 1571 and 1587.

The Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex is a group of buildings designed and built between 1580 and 1587 by Mimar Sinan, who at the time was in his 90s. The mosque itself was constructed in 1578-1580. It is located in the Tophane neighbourhood of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is named after Kılıç Ali Pasha.

His religious complex in Istanbul is located across the Ottoman canon foundry (Tophane) near Karaköy, and was built by Ottoman court architect Sinan towards the end of his career in 1581. Chosen for its proximity to the Tophane Pier, the site is now located further inland due to infills along the Bosphorus shoreline. The Kılıç Ali Paşa complex, which Kılıç Ali Paşa (the grand admiral of the Ottoman Navy) had built by the architect Sinan in the Tophane Square in 1581, consists of a mosque, a tomb, a sabil, a madrasah (Muslim theological school), and a Turkish bath.

According to the folklore Kılıç Ali Paşa asked Sultan Murat III to give him land to build a mosque. The Sultan replied because Kılıç Ali Paşa was such a great admiral he should build a mosque in the sea. That explains why the sea shore was filled up and the complex was built in that position. The mosque is surrounded by a large courtyard and the assembly area is covered by a sloping roof, with ornate carvings on the three doors of the inner garden. There are Quranic verses painted on the ceramic panels over the windows. In the garden is a fountain with eight marble columns and a covering dome.

In 1948, the 16th century ship's lantern which hung from the main dome was moved to the Maritime Museum. On the right hand side a minaret rises with the balcony. The tomb of Kılıç Ali Paşa is located in the garden facing east. By the garden wall facing the street is a fountain. The hamam on the right hand side of the mosque is still in use today. The school is located on the sea side of the hamam.

The courtyard is open during the day. The larger complex includes a mosque, a madrasa, public baths and a cemetery including the founder's tomb, all aligned with qibla to the east of south. The mosque and cemetery are surrounded by a rectangular precinct wall with iron-grill windows, which was pulled back to its current location during road enlargements in 1956, constricting the mosque's forecourt. Among the five precinct gates, the two along the main boulevard and the side gates to the northeast and southwest lead into the forecourt which is dominated by the double portico of the mosque.

The mosque and cemetery are surrounded by a rectangular precinct wall with iron-grill windows, which was pulled back to its current location during road enlargements in 1956, constricting the mosque's forecourt. Among the five precinct gates, the two along the main boulevard and the side gates to the northeast and southwest lead into the forecourt which is dominated by the double portico of the mosque.

Mosque
The plan scheme of the mosque, built by Sinan the Architect in 1580. The central dome of the mosque is 12.70 metres (41.7 ft) in diameter, carried on pendentives on granite piers and two half-domes on the Qibla axis. Towards the entrance, on two sides, there is a two-story gallery. The dome is placed at the center with two exedrae similar to a Byzantine basilica, thus the resemblance to Hagia Sophia.

The mosque is based on a rectangular design and is an enlarged plan of the Haghia Sophia mosque. The top of the windows is adorned by the tiles and the largest dome is resting on four elephant leg shaped marble columns and is supported in the east and the west by two half domes. In each of the four corners a small dome is located and colored tiles with flower motifs decorate the mosque's interior. The largest dome has twenty four windows and including these the building has a total of 147 windows.

Kılıç Ali Pasha, who was a conscript recruit of Italian origin, had this complex built outside the Galata city walls, based on the Ayasofya design concept. It is another one of Sinan’s architectural works that has reached our day in quite a good condition. Its similarity to the Hagia Sophia has been sometimes considered to be a negative factor by some critiques and attributed to the Pasha’s past, or his attempt at creating such a splendor just near the non-muslim Galata neighborhood.

This large scale mosque displays a celebration of architecture with its references to the Hagia Sophia, unique plan, rich and highly refined marble workmanship in the burial area. The central dome of main space of the mosque is 12.70 m in diameter, which has a rectanglular plan, is placed on a pulley with windows. The weight of the dome is distributed on four piers with supporting pendentives. It is thought that the mosque was an improved sample of the architectural aesthetics of the Hagia Sophia and is decorated with Iznik tiles from 16th century workmanship.

The mosque is completely lit by a total of 147 windows, 24 of which are exist on the pulley of its dome. A historical beacon belonging to the 16th century, which can be found at the Naval Museum of Istanbul today, was also used for lightening. In addition, during the renovation period in the 19th century, the minaret of the mosque with its single balcony was renewed and the Baroque ornaments were added to it.

The northwest wall, across from the portico, is lined by an arcade with ablution spigots. Additional washing areas are located around the dodecagonal ablution fountain (şadırvan) that occupies the center of the narrow forecourt, protected by a domed kiosk carried on eight pillars. The forecourt is largely shaded with the long eaves of the mosque portico, ablution arcade and the ablution fountain. The outdoor prayer space of the mosque consists of a raised five-bay portico enveloped by an arcade with shorter columns on three sides, forming a double portico.

The inner portico features muqarnas capitals and is covered with domes, while the outer portico has a shed roof and diamond-cut capitals. Iron screens placed between the outer columns separate the double portico from the forecourt, limiting entry to a carved marble doorway inside the central bay. The tall mosque portal is centered on the portico façade and crowned by an inscriptive plaque and a large triangular panel with a mirrored inscription highlighted in gold. Without the portico, the mosque measures thirty one and a half meters by twenty six meters on the exterior.

Above the prayer hall are five small domes carried on six marble columns. The tile panels placed high in the prayer hall are inscribed with ayats (verses) from the Quran. The mosque has only one minaret with one gallery. The mihrab is in a square projecting apse.

A 16th-century beacon that used to hang from the central dome was taken off to be displayed at the Museum of Ottoman and Turkish Naval History in 1948.

The outdoor prayer space of the mosque consists of a raised five-bay portico enveloped by an arcade with shorter columns on three sides, forming a double portico. The inner portico features muqarnas capitals and is covered with domes, while the outer portico has a shed roof and diamond-cut capitals. Iron screens placed between the outer columns separate the double portico from the forecourt, limiting entry to a carved marble doorway inside the central bay.

The tall mosque portal is centered on the portico façade and crowned by an inscriptive plaque and a large triangular panel with a mirrored inscription highlighted in gold. Without the portico, the mosque measures thirty one and a half meters by twenty six meters on the exterior.

Inside, the tall nave of the prayer hall is covered by a central dome measuring thirteen meters in diameter, braced by two semi domes of the same radius to the northwest and southeast. Like at the Hagia Sophia, the lateral thrust of the dome is asymmetrically countered with grand arches in the other two directions, requiring the placement of heavy flying buttresses on the exterior. Double-story galleries flank the nave on all sides except for qibla where the shallow mihrab apse projects into the cemetery behind the mosque, covered with a small semi-dome.

The vertical loads of the dome are transferred via pendentives onto four massive piers built into the gallery arcades. The nave is illuminated from the top with rings of windows pierced into the base of the dome and the semi-domes, and from clerestory windows inside the tympana of the dome arches. Two tiers of casements bring light and air into the galleries; both tiers are topped by arched windows featuring colored glass set in plaster. A continuous stone cornice envelops the interior at the springing of the dome arches, adding stability to the structure as well as creating a catwalk for maintenance.

On the qibla wall, the rectangular mihrab apse is covered entirely with floral Iznik tiles and inscriptive tile panels. Four plaster windows inside the apse and two others set high on the qibla wall feature intricate colored glass compositions containing floral arabesques and inscriptions. The marble mihrab is adorned simply with a muqarnas hood, while the sides of the marble minbar are carved with arabesques painted in gold. The muezzin's platform (müezzin mahfili) is located across the minbar to the right of the entrance, and is carried over eight marble columns.

Interior walls of the galleries and all vaulted surfaces are covered with white plaster and painted in sections with floral arabesques. Inscriptive medallions adorn the apex of tall dome and the pendentives of the central dome. The cut-stone construction of the gallery arcades and the qibla wall are left exposed.

The mosque, the main unit of the complex, is located in the middle of  the courtyard. During the road construction works in 1956, the frame of the courtyard lost its original shape when its wall was moved back. The last prayer section of the mosque is covered by five domes, and the porch is covered with lead encircling the last prayer section in three directions creating this section’s ceiling structure.

Minaret
The single minaret of the mosque is attached to the west corner of the prayer hall. Its steps are accessed from one of two symmetrical stairways at either end of the northwest arcade that lead up to the gallery level. All domes and roofs, including the conical crown of the minaret, are covered with lead panels on the exterior.

Tomb of Kılıç Ali Paşa
The octagonal stone tomb of the founder is located in the cemetery behind the qibla wall of the mosque. Its dome is carried on four arches that rest on a thick wall to the northeast and two free-standing columns to the southeast. Its portal is set into the northeast wall, topped by the foundation plaque.

The tomb of the complex, situated on an octagonal plan with cut-stone, located on the side overlooking the sea, belongs to Kılıç Ali Paşa. At the outer courtyard in the graveyard stands an octagonal türbe with a dome also made by Mimar Sinan. It's wooden doors are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Kılıç Ali Pasha's tomb lies inside the tomb.

The courtyard is open during the day. This is a place where high-level Ottoman naval officers have been laid to rest. It is closed to visitors but can easily be viewed from the outside. The Tomb of Kılıç Ali Pasha is also an unusual structure with a unique plan. The portico was brought inside, instead of projecting to the exterior.

 It's wooden doors are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Kılıç Ali Pasha's tomb lies inside the türbe. The octagonal tomb of Kılıç Ali Pasha in the cemetery of the mosque is almost the only example of a two columned front porch.

Madrasa
The madrasa is located to the south of the mosque. It is square in plan and measures about twenty-five meters per side. Its fountain court is surrounded by an arcade with eleven domed bays that give access to eighteen student cells. The large domed classroom iwan projects beyond the northeast wing of the madrasa and faces the cemetery like the mosque apse.

The madrasah near the bath, which measures 27.2 x 28.7 m, has a courtyard, 17 rooms, and a classroom. The medrese, opposite the southeast corner of the mosque, is almost square. This structure might not be constructed by Mimar Sinan as it is not in the official list of his works, the Tazkirat-al-Abniya. The madrasa is located to the south of the mosque.

Bath
The bath of the complex is a building covered by a dome located on the right-hand side of the mosque. The public baths (hamam) of the complex is located outside the precinct walls, to the southwest of the mosque and was completed by 1583. Measuring eighteen meters by thirty one and a half meters, the baths consist of a hot-room preceded by a dressing room of equal size to its northwest. The hexagonal hall of the hot-room is flanked by seven private cells, five of which have domes. The central spaces of the hot-room and the dressing room are covered by domes pierced with lights; the larger dome of the dressing room is fourteen meters in diameter.

It is known that the bath at the right of the mosque was under construction in 1583. Its layout is different from classical baths because the changing room was placed between two cool rooms instead of putting in front of cool room. The diameter of the dome roofing for the changing room is 14.1 m. To the right of the mosque is the hamam, of which the construction was completed in 1583.

The public baths (hamam) of the complex is located outside the precinct walls, to the southwest of the mosque. Measuring 18 meters by 31,5 meters, the baths consist of a hot-room preceded by a dressing room of equal size to its northwest. The hexagonal hall of the hot-room is flanked by 7 private cells, 5 of which have domes. The central spaces of the hot-room and the dressing room are covered by domes pierced with lights; the larger dome of the dressing room is 14 meters in diameter. The baths are no longer in function and are in need of restoration.

The glass doors lead into two separate soğukluk (cool rooms) that are placed on either sides of the hararet (caldarium-hot room) which is hexagonal in plan with open bathing places in four of its six arched recesses, the other two opening to the soğukluks. The placement of the soğukluks and the plan of the hararet differ from the usual application carried out by Sinan in his other extant hamams.

Sebil
It is thought that the sabils existing on the courtyard’s wall belong to the complex. The domed sabil of the complex projects onto the street at the northern corner of the precinct walls and is entered from a door inside the mosque courtyard.

Şadırvan
The northwest wall, across from the portico, is lined by an arcade with ablution spigots. Additional washing areas are located around the dodecagonal ablution fountain (şadırvan) that occupies the center of the narrow forecourt, protected by a domed kiosk carried on eight pillars. The forecourt is largely shaded with the long eaves of the mosque portico, ablution arcade and the ablution fountain.

Rumours
The Turkish researcher Rasih Nuri İleri claimed during his examination of the complex's foundation documents that Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes was a forced worker at the construction of the complex during his enslavement, like the Captive character in his novel Don Quixote.

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MESİH MEHMET PAŞA MOSQUE

Keçeciler, Fatih - Istanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°01'19.0"N 28°56'37.0"E / 41.021944, 28.943611



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The Mosque is in Istanbul's Fatih district, in Keçeciler, on Eski Ali Paşa street. It has been written on the tomb of Mesih Mehmed Pasha, that the mosque was built by Architec Mimar Sinan in 1585. Mesih Mehmed Pasha Mosque has one dome, one minaret and three doors. The Mosque was dedicated to one of Sultan Murad III's Grand Viziers, Mesih Mehmed Pasha.

Born in Bosnia, Mesih Mehmet Pasha had served at every level of the Palace administration to ascend to the level of Grand Vizier. In an interesting way, the side galleries in the mosque interior have been separated from the main space by a wall. The variety in the grill figures on the exterior wall is also quite striking. In an unusual way, the open tomb of Mesih Mehmet Pasha, who died in 1589, was placed in the center of the mosque court in place of a fountain.

Hadım Mesih Pasha was an Ottoman statesman. He was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1585-1586. Born in Bosnia, Mesih Mehmet Pasha had served at every level of the Palace administration to ascend to the level of Grand Vizier. In an interesting way, the side galleries in the mosque interior have been separated from the main space by a wall. The variety in the grill figures on the exterior wall is also quite striking.

Having a rectangular plan, the mosque central dome is 12.8 m in diameter. Abundant windows provide a bright interior. Ablution cocks were placed under the porticos when the tomb of Mesih Pasha inconsistent with tradition replaced the şadırvan in the courtyard. In plan the building is an octagon inscribed in a square with semidomes as squinches in the diagonals; to north and south are galleries. But the odd feature is that what in most mosques of this form are aisles under the galleries are here turned into porches.

That is, where you would expect an arcade of columns, you find a wall with windows opening onto an exterior gallery which, in turn, opens to the outside by enormous arches, now glazed in. The mihrab and mimber are very fine works in marble, as are the grilles above the windows. Tiles of the best period complete the decoration of this interesting building.

The courtyard of the mosque is attractive but rather sombre. It consists of the usual domed porticoes under which, rather unusually, are the ablution fountains; this is because the place of the şadırvan in the centre of the courtyard has been taken by the picturesque open türbe of the founder. The mosque is preceded by a double porch, but the wooden roof of the second porch has disappeared, leaving the arcades to support nothing; the inner porch has the usual five bays.

A distinguishing feature from the other mosques built for the viziers is that there are no madrasa rooms at three of the sides of the mosque. It contains the simplest tile decoration among the Sinan’s buildings. The building was completed by the contribution of Mimar Davud Ağa.

The mosque contains the tomb of Mesih Paşha. In an unusual way, the open tomb of Mesih Mehmet Pasha, who died in 1589, was placed in the center of the mosque court in place of a fountain. It was completed in 1586 and was built before his dismissal from the grand vizierate.

This mosque, whose usage was intermitted after the earthquake of 1894, continued to be used after having been repaired in 1936 - 1939 and 1955 - 1957. The fountain under the mosque was restored in 1817 at the request of Beyhan Sultan, daughter of Sultan Mustafa III. Preservig its 16th century architectural character and form, the monument have remained still until the 20th century.

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ARAP MOSQUE

Galata, Beyoğlu - Istanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°01'28.0"N 28°58'15.0"E / 41.024444, 28.970833



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The building lies in Istanbul, in the district of Beyoğlu, in the neighborhood of  Karaköy (medieval Galata), on Galata Mahkemesi Sokak, not far from the northern shores of the Golden Horn. It is surrounded by artisan shops.

There is no specific information detailing when and by whom the mosque was built. Although there are legends saying that the mosque was built by Arabs surrounding Istanbul, the thesis describing the presence of a church named Mesa Domeniko situated on the mosque’s current foundation during the Byzantine period which was later converted into a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul by Sultan Mehmet II,  is stronger.

Arap Mosque (Turkish: Arap Camii, literally Arab Mosque) is a mosque in the Karaköy (historically Galata) quarter of Istanbul, Turkey. It was built in 1325 by the friars of the Dominican Order near or above a former 13th century Roman Catholic chapel devoted to Saint Paul (Italian: San Paolo) in 1233. Although the structure was altered during the Ottoman period, it represents the only example of religious Gothic Architecture remaining in Istanbul.

The church was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans between 1475 and 1478, during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, and became known as the Galata Mosque. It was later given by Sultan Bayezid II to the Muslim Arab refugees from Al-Andalus who - together with the Sephardic Jews - escaped the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 and settled in the Galata neighborhood of Istanbul (hence its current name, Arab Mosque.)

During the sixth century a Byzantine church, possibly dedicated to Saint Irene, was built here. Of this building, only part of a wall survives today. The tradition which affirms that a mosque was built on this place during the Arab Siege of Constantinople (717-18) by Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik (a commander and cousin of Caliph Umar II) must be considered a legend, as the Arabs laid siege to the land walls of Constantinople on the southern part of the Golden Horn and never penetrated into the citadel of Galata (Pera) at the northern shore.

In 1233, during the Latin Empire of Constantinople (1204-1261) after the Fourth Crusade, this church was replaced with a small chapel, dedicated to Saint Paul (San Paolo). It was completed and inaugurated in 1233 as the Church of Saint Paul, built by the Dominican priests of the Roman Catholic Church, during the Latin Empire of Constantinople (1204-1261). Constructed following the Italian model of that period, the church had a squared-off eastern end with a square sanctuary and chapels covered by ribbed groin vaults. Lancet windows and the prominent bell tower distinguished the building from the Byzantine churches in the city.

In 1299, the Dominican Friar Guillaume Bernard de Sévérac bought a house near the church, where he established a monastery with 12 friars. In 1307, Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos moved the Dominicans of Constantinople to the Genoese-held suburb of Pera.

A new, much larger church was built near of above the chapel of San Paolo in 1325. From this time on the church was officially dedicated to San Domenico, but local voyagers continued to use the ancient denomination. In 1407 Pope Gregory XII, in order to ensure the maintenance of the church, conceded indulgences to the visitors of the monastery of San Paolo.

In 1407, the church was extensively repaired and restored with the financial aid of the Papacy. In 1475, it was transformed into a mosque by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and became known as Galata Camii (Galata Mosque). In 1492, the mosque was given to the Arabs of Spain (Andalusia), who fled the Spanish Inquisition and migrated to Istanbul, by Sultan Bayezid II; hence the present name Arap Camii (Arab Mosque).

After the Fall of Constantinople, according to the Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire with the Republic of Genoa, the church, which by that time was known by the Turks under the name of Mesa Domenico, remained in Genoese hands, but between 1475 and 1478 it was transformed, with minor modifications, into a mosque by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and became known as Galata Camii (Galata Mosque) or Cami-i Kebir (Great Mosque). The friars were transferred in the friary of San Pietro in Galata in 1476, while all the altar clothes had already been brought to Genoa, and the archives to Caffa.

Towards the end of the century Sultan Bayezid II assigned the building to the Muslims of Spain (Andalusia), p. who fled the Spanish Inquisition and migrated to Istanbul; hence the present name Arap Camii (Arab Mosque). Sultan Mehmet III repaired the building, and towards the end of seventeenth century the houses which encroached upon the mosque were pulled down in order to avoid noise.

After the 1731 Great Fire of Galata, in 1734/35 the mother of Sultan Mahmut I (1730-1754), Saliha Sultan renovated the building, changing the windows and the portal from the Gothic to the Ottoman style. After another fire in 1808, in the mid-nineteenth century, the daughter of Sultan Mahmud II, Adile Sultan, repaired the mosque again and in 1868 built a şadirvan (fountain for ritual ablutions before praying) in the courtyard.

Despite the fire in 1807, the building was renovated again, and a short history of the mosque was inscribed on a stone tablet by Hacı Emin Efendi (a secretary member of the Imperial Council) and was placed on the wall beside the niche. After these renovations were completed, the mosque also underwent a large scale renovation in 1868 and in 1913. As for the fountain that exists today, it was added to the mosque after the renovations in 1868.

Between 1913 and 1919, Giridli Hasan Bey extensively restored the edifice again. During the replacement of the wooden floor, several Genoese tombstones dating back to between the first half of fourteenth and up to the middle of the fifteenth centuries were discovered. They were brought to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. As of 2012, the mosque is undergoing an extensive restoration.

This historical mosque was built on a rectangular plan in Gothic style architecture. As for the minaret of the mosque, with its extraordinary lines, reaches toward the sky on the site of the bell tower of the old church.

Erected according to the model of the Italian mendicant order churches of that period, the church had a three-nave rectangular base, with squared-off eastern end and a square sanctuary which is covered by ribbed groin vaults.

The Gothic-style portal, lancet windows and the prominent bell tower (which has been transformed into a minaret by the addition of a conical roof) distinguished the building from the Byzantine churches in the city. On the other side, the technique used for the brickwork was local, and alternated small courses of bricks and ashlar.

The NE nave was possibly flanked by a series of chapels, each of them belonging to a noble Genoese family. One of them was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and another to Saint Nicholas. As a whole, the building resembled the churches of Chieri and Finale Ligure in Italy.

The flat wooden roof and rather pretty wooden galleries date from the restoration in 1913-1919. On this occasion, the height of the building was lowered, and many Genoese headstones were found. During the same restorations, rests of paintings were also discovered near the Mihrab, but were covered again. In the passage under the belfry, moldings are still visible, as well as fragments of stones with armorial bearings which were once placed along the wall. On the north side of the building there is a large and attractive courtyard with a şadırvan.

Today, Arap Camii is the largest mosque on the Galata side of the Golden Horn. It is one of the most interesting mosques in the city due to its early Italian Gothic architectural style and church belfry, which has practically remained unaltered even after being converted into a minaret.

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AMCAZADE HÜSEYİN PASHA COMPLEX

Saraçhane, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'54.5"N 28°57'07.4"E / 41.015139, 28.952056



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On Macar Kardeşler Street, the Amcazade Hüseyin Pasha Complex was by Chief Architect Hüseyin Ağa. The fine complex of Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa. This is one of the most elaborate and picturesque of the smaller classical complexes. It was built by Hüseyin Paşa while he was Grand Vezir (1697-1702) under Sultan Mustafa II, and thus comes at the very end of the classical period. Hüseyin Paşa was a cousin (amcazade) of Fazıl Ahmet Paşa of the able and distinguished Köprülü family.

The complex includes an octagonal dershane or lecture hall, serving also as a mosque; a medrese, a library, a large primary school over a row of shops, two little cemeteries with open türbes, a şadırvan, a sebil and a çeşme, all arranged with an almost romantic disorder. The street façade consists first of the open walls of the small graveyards, divided by the projecting curve of the sebil. All of these have fine brass grilles, those of the türbe nearest the entrance gate being quite exceptionally beautiful specimens of seventeenth-century grillework.

Next comes the entrance gate with an Arabic inscription giving the date 1698. The çeşme just beyond it with its reservoir behind is a somewhat later addition, for its inscription records that it was a benefaction of the Şeyh-ül Islam Mustafa Efendi in 1739. Finally there is a row of four shops with an entrance between them leading to the two large rooms of the mektep on the upper floor.

On entering the courtyard, one has on the left the first of the open türbes - the one with the exceptionally handsome grilles - and then the columned portico of the mosque: this portico runs around seven of the eight sides of the mosque and frames it in a rectangle. The mosque itself is without a minaret and its primary object was clearly to serve as a lecture hall for the medrese.

It is severely simple, its dome adorned only with some rather pale stencilled designs probably later than the building itself. There are 47 tombs in the complex as various members of the family were buried in the complex after the death of Amcazade Hüseyin Pasha in 1702.

The far side of the courtyard is formed by the 17 cells of the medrese with their domed and columned portico. Occupying the main part of the right-hand side is the library building. It is in two storeys, but the lower floor serves chiefly as a water reservoir, the upper being reached by a flight of outside steps around the side and back of the building, leading to a little domed entrance porch on the first floor. The madrasah, which is quite wide, covers an area of about 2580 square meters. The madrasah is surrounded by a portico that is supported by 22 marble columns.

The medallion inscription on the front of the library records a restoration in 1755 by Hüseyin Paşa’s daughter Rahmiye Hatun after the earthquake of 1894 which ruined the complex; the manuscripts it had contained were removed and are now in the Süleymaniye library. The right-hand corner of the courtyard is occupied by the shops and the mektep above them: note the amusing little dovecotes in the form of miniature mosques on the façade overlooking the entrance gate.

A columned şadırvan stands in the middle of the courtyard. This charmingly irregular complex is made still more picturesque by the warm red of the brickwork alternating with buff-coloured limestone, by the many marble columns of the portico, and not  least by the fine old trees - cypresses, locusts and two enormous terebinths - that grow out of the open türbes and in the courtyard.

The külliye now serves as the Museum of Turkish Architectural Works and Construction Elements, including architectural and sculptural fragments, calligraphical inscriptions and old tombstones. One particularly interesting exhibit is the top of one of the minarets of Fatih Camii, toppled by the earthquake in 1894.

The monumental buildings and restoration departments of the General Directorate of Trusts undertook the restoration of the külliye, which today houses many architectural items removed from Ottoman buildings during restoration work and from ruined and demolished historic buildings.

Other items include those of historic interest formerly kept in mosques, madrasahs, tekkes and tombs, such as lecterns, candelabra, and light fittings, which were in danger of being lost or damaged in their original situations.

The museum has a rich collection of tiles, such as those from the Huand Hatun baths, decorated with human figures dating from the Seljuk era; inscribed tiles from the Beyşehir Demirli Mesjid made in the mosaic technique; Arabian tiles brought to Turkey by the achietect Kemâleddin Bey when the Kubbe’t-üs Sahra in Jerusalem was being restored; and colour glaze and mosaic tiles from buildings in Bursa and Edirne, dating from the early Ottoman period. İn a separate section are under-glazed sixteenth century tiles and blue and white seventeenth century tiles, representing the peak of Ottoman art.

In the section of stone works are many dated inscriptions and decorative items from mosques, madrasahs, tekkes, fountains and other historic buildings of which today there is no trace. These provide an invaluable guide for restorers. Nails, iron knobs, door and window locks and keys, rosettes, rivets, used for fixing blocks of stone together, and taps teli the story of the construction.

The museum has received large numbers of donated objects, which include lecterns embellished with mother-of-pearl and flowers and bearing imperial monograms; Seljuk, Memluk and Ottoman candlesticks, censers, lanterns and healing cups; and Ottoman and European glass lamps.

The museum has a fine collection of alems, the metals emblems on mosque domes and minarets. The wide range of examples are arranged in chronological order. The largest is from the minaret in Okmeydanı. Small scale sanjak alems used in tekkes include beautiful examples of decorative calligraphy.

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