KUYUCU MURAT PASHA MOSQUE COMPLEX

Vezneciler, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'46.3"N 28°57'29.2"E / 41.012863, 28.958122



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The building complex is about 17. Century with a madrasa, a tomb, primary school and sabil(serving fountain) perhaps at the time of chief architect Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I. The inner part of the Madrasa is serving as Fine Arts Department of Istanbul Unıversity. The other parts and magazins are rented to individuals by the foundation.

The classical style Madrasah was built by Grand Vizier Kuyucu Murat Pasha, of Pomak origin, in 1610. L-shaped, with 14 rooms, the madrasah undergone numerous restorations during its history. Kuyucu Murat Pasha Madrasah in Vezneciler Street. Kuyucu Murat Pasha Madrasah is today the Faculty of Fine Arts of İstanbul University.

This elegant little complex was built in 1606 by Kuyucu Murat Paşa, Grand Vezir in the reign of Sultan Ahmet I. Murat Paşa received his nickname kuyucu, or the pit-digger, from his favourite occupation of supervising the digging of trenches for the mass burials of the rebels he had slaughtered.

The apex of the triangle is formed by the columned sebil, with simple classical lines. Facing the street is an arcade of shops in the middle of which a doorway leads to the courtyard of the medrese.

The tomb of the Kuyucu Murat Pasha, who died in 1611, is situated next to the madrasah. Also, buried in the tomb, are Abaza Ahmet Pasha (1638) and Cağaloğlu Sinan Paşazade Mehmet Pasha.

Entering, we find the türbe of the founder in the acute angle behind the sebil, and at the other end the dershane, which, as so often, served also as a small mosque. This building has been taken over and restored by Istanbul University; the courtyard has been roofed in and used as a small museum, while the dershane contains a library.

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MİHRİŞAH VALİDE SULTAN COMPLEX

Eyüp - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°02'54.5"N 28°56'03.5"E / 41.048472, 28.934306



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This baroque complex, which was built for Mihrişah Sultan, wife of Sultan Mustafa III and mother of Sultan Selim III, near to Bostan Pier of Eyüp in between 1792 - 1795, is quite broad. The complex was built by Arif Ağa the chief architect in between 1792 - 1794.

The inscription on the baroque - rococo style fountain, which dates to 1795 and is in the southeast direction of the complex, belongs to Galip who was the sheikh of the Galata Mevlevihane. The tomb, which was built in 1792 for Mihrişah Sultan who died in 1805, is a quite beautiful example of the Ottoman baroque style. The names of the Prophet Muhammad and four caliphs were inscribed on the roundels between the window arches.

Leaving Eyüp Mosque by the north gate, one finds oneself in a narrow street that leads down to the Golden Horn. Most of the left side of this street is occupied by the enormous külliye built in 1794 by Mihrişah Valide Sultan. This is one of the largest and most elaborate of all the baroque complexes and includes the türbe of the foundress together with a mektep, an imaret, and a splendid sebil and çeşmes.

The türbe is round, but the façade undulates turning it into a polygon, the various faces being separated by slender columns of red or dark grey marble; in general it recalls the türbe of Nakşidil at Fatih, though it is not quite so flamboyant.

The entrance is in a little courtyard filled with tombstones and trees, along one side of which runs the columned portico of the mektep or primary school.

Farther along the street another monumental gateway leads into the vast courtyard with more and tombstones and surrounded on three sides by the porticoes of the huge imaret or public kitchen. This is one of the very few imarets in Istanbul which still fulfil their function as food kitchens for the poor of the district; some 500 people are served daily at 11 o’clock with food to take away.

In leaving you should notice the magnificent sebil at the end of the garden wall on the street side. Continuing towards the water, one passes on the right the türbe and on the left the library of Hüsrev Paşa, dated 1839 and both in heavy Empire style; but the domes of the library reading-rooms contain a good example of that horrendous Italianate comic opera painted decoration of garlands, draperies and columns, which is so distressing when it occurs in classical buildings but is quite appropriate here.

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KÖPRÜLÜ MEHMET PAŞA MOSQUE COMPLEX

Divanyolu, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°02'02.0"N 28°42'11.0"E / 41.033889, 28.703056



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Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmet Pasha and his son Köprülü Ahmet Pasha, from the famous Köprülü family, commissioned Chief Architect Kasım Ağa to build the Köprülü Complex between 1659 - 1667 opposite the Tomb of Sultan Mahmut II.

The mosque is a few steps beyond the türbe, projecting out into the sidewalk of Divan Yolu. The mosque, which is octagonal in shape, was once the dershane, or lecture-room, of the Köprülü medresesi, most of which has now disappeared.

The complex of mosques, madrasas, mausoleums, fountains, springs and the library, the inn and the shops has occurred, a large space. As by now, you have seen a variety of complexes on your Istanbul tours that were built by viziers, pashas or the royal family members.

The complexes that government officials donate are smaller in size then the complexes that royal family members donate. This is a way of showing respect to royal family. Köprülü Complex consists of a masjid (a small place for prayers), a madrasah (teological school), a tomb, a sebil, a fountain and some stores.

Madrasah
The madrasah was renovated in 1873.

Fountain
The fountain of the complex was completed in 1661.

Tomb
Köprülü Mehmet Pasha, died in 1661, his son Fazıl Ahmet Pasha and Ayşe Hanım were buried in the tomb.

Vezir Han
On the side - street of Janissaries Street, the Vizier Han was built by Grand Vizier Fazıl Ahmet Pasha between 1659 and 1660, as a part the Köprülü Complex. The Han, which was built of stone and brick, has two courtyards and two floors. The epigraph on the doorway was inscribed at the restoration in the years 1894 - 1895. There is a masjid in the second yard that was not used.

The first courtyard is triangular and the second is a trapezoid measuring 70 x 47 x 65 x 45 m. The Han remained as a slave bazaar until slavery was abolished in the Ottoman Empire in 1855. Mustafa Ziya Bey began to publish the first sports gazette of the Ottoman Empire which commercial on the 11th of October 1910 in Vezir Han.

Köprülü Library
Located on Divanyolu Street across from the Tomb of Sultan Mahmut II in the Eminönü of Istanbul, the Köprülü Library was built by Fazıl Ahmet Pasha (1635 - 1676), the son of Sadrazam (Grand Vizier) Köprülü Mehmet Pasha, on the last wish of his father. Köprülüzade Fazıl Mustafa Pasha completed the establishment of the library with the composition of a vakıf [non-for-profit organization] charter in 1678.

The library was opened with its staff being composed of three librarians, one binder, and one janitor. The first book was donated by the Köprülü family, and the number of available books continued to increase with further donations and purchases. Of all the donations to the library, those by Köprülü Mehmet Pasha, Fazıl Ahmet Pasha, Hacı (Hafiz) Ahmet Pasha, and Mehmet Asım Bey were among the highest.

Its collection contains more than 1,000 booksand approximately 3,000 manuscripts in Turkish, Arabic and English as well as approximately 1,500 printed works. The author, book, and subject lists of manuscripts and printed works are organized according to the Dewey Decimal Classification Method. The Köprülü Library is one of the first examples of an independent library design in Istanbul

It is located in a garden, whose three sides are surrounded by streets and is constructed with alternating stones and bricks. It is covered by a dome placed on an octagonal rim on the outside with a pendentive square plan. The arcade part, which is reached by a four-step staircase in the western section of the library, was moved to the front and has assumed a T-shape.

There is a diamond-shaped head placed on top of six marble pillars, spire arch arcade is covered with four domes. The library is accessed through a low-pitched door in the central axis of the arcade. The interior is illuminated by windows, with one on each side, two in the upper level, and three each with six upper part windows across the entrance. There are spire discharge arches with rectangular jambs. The interior surface of the dome and pendentives are decorated with over-the-gate pen works.

Both "C" and "S" curves are attract visitors’ attention among these brown, black and red ornamentations. Written underneath the flower designs are the word, “Maşallah,” and date, 1181 Hijri (1667-1668). Furthermore, both “Masallah” and the date of 1289 Hijri (1872) and 1327 Hijri (1911) are written on the inner door. Based on these inscriptions, it is understood that the library underwent  restoration in both 1872 and 1911.

During the restoration in 1911, the electric lines were floored, cushions and book lecterns were removed, and in addition, tables and chairs were replaced. Only 9 out of the 12 rooms of the madrasah are preserved and its architect was probably Chief Architect Mustafa Ağa.

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EYÜP SULTAN MOSQUE

Eyüp - Istanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°02'54.0"N 28°56'02.0"E / 41.048333, 28.933889



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The Eyüp Sultan Mosque is situated outside the Walls of Constantinople, near the Golden Horn, in the district of Eyüp on the European side of İstanbul. Built in 1458, it was the first mosque constructed by the Ottoman Turks following their conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The complex is located in Eyüp on the shores of the Golden Horn. The mosque, mausoleum and hamam of the complex still stand today, but the medresse and soup kitchen for the poor no longer survive. The first structure built in the complex was the tomb of Ebu Eyyub El-Ensari a "sahabe", or companion of the Prophet Mohammed. He is said to have hosted Mohammed the first time he journeyed to Medina.

Known as "Eyüp Sultan", he is believed to have been martyred during the siege of İstanbul by the Umayyad people in 668-669. It is believed that after the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans, the site was revealed to Sultan Mehmed, the Conqueror's teacher, Akşemseddin, in a dream. The Conqueror had a mausoleum built on the site. It is built where Hz Eyyubu El-Ensari (An important Islamic character) was thought to be buried, he was one of the first acceptors of Islam and died during the first Islamic siege of Istanbul in 688-669. A tomb and a mosque was built by the command of Mehmed the Conqueror.

The mosque rises on the spot where Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Turkish: Eyüp Sultan), the standard-bearer of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, died during the Arab assault on Constantinople in 670. His tomb is greatly venerated by Muslims, attracting many pilgrims. Some of the personal belongings of Prophet Mohammed are preserved inside this mosque. His other belongings are preserved in the Topkapı Palace and in several other mosques of İstanbul, which was the final seat of the Islamic Caliphate.

Two outstanding structures in this district - the Eyüp Sultan Mosque and the adjacent tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of Prophet Mohammed - draw thousands of people from across Turkey every year. In 1459 Sultan Mehmed, The Conqueror went on to build a mosque, a medresse, a soup kitchen and a hamam, so that the site became a full complex.

The Eyup Sultan Complex, located in the middle of the city, gave its own name to its district It is one of the most prominent complexes experiencing a stream of sightseers visiting Istanbul. The name of the complex comes from Eyüp el-Ensari, a host of the Prophet, who participated in pincer movement of Istanbul by the Umayyad army and was martyred in the area of the present mosque.

The current mosque has substantially different features compared to the original. The main dome of the mosque, built from limestone blocks, measures 17.50 meters in diameter which consists of the ceiling structure of the Harim (sanctum sanctorum) at a size of 26 x 11m. It is supported by two half-domes, each of which has same diameter, and the interior lighting of the mosque is strengthened by window gaps placed on the half domes and the pulley of the central dome. The mosque’s decorations are of an Ottoman Baroque style and are remarkably plain when compared with the predominate, more complex architectural style of the time.

There are small fountains, which are known as kısmet çeşmeleri (destitny fountains), located in the middle of the inner court encircled by domed porches. The motifs and architectural elements used on these fountains are made of white marbles, giving a pleasing aesthetic view to them. The mosque has two minarets, each with two shrefes (balconies). Since the minarets were built in the period of Sultan Mehmed II, and were relatively short, both were raised in 1723 by Damat Ibrahim Paşa.

The madrasa (religious school) and the imaret (soup kitchen) of the mystical complex are the major structures which have not reached our time. In general, the Eyüp Sultan Complex hosts visitiors from every area in Turkey. Due to the spiritual athmosphere of the complex, it is considered a sacred place of pilgrimage for those whose beliefs are strengthened by making its visitors contemplate the afterlife. Furthermore, the number of graves encircling the complex both shows how much the grave owners wished to be buried near Eyüp el-Ensari and illustrates the importance of the city in Islamic Culture.

The construction of the complex was initiated by building a tomb on the location he had already been buried. According to rumors, Akşemseddin, a teacher of Sultan Mehmed II, had a dream in which he saw the place where the blessed person was buried upon which Sultan Mehmed II  had initially began building a tomb. The complex, which consists of a mosque, a tomb, a madrasa, (religious school) and a Turkish bath, took its first shape in the year 1459, during which the mosque’s construction began.

The complex has seen numerous changes in its history and has lost its original shape during restoration works. After the earthquake of 1776 and experiencing large scale structural damage, Sultan Selim III (1789-1807) made the decision to tear it down and rebuild it on the same site. The mosque, built by a group of people, of which Uzun Hüseyin Ağa was at the head, was reopened for worship on October 24, 1800 by Sultan Selim III.

Located beyond the city walls on the southern reaches of the Golden Horn, this historic quarter derives its name, Eyüp, from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, one of the standard-bearers of the Prophet. Sultan Mehmet II had a finely embellished mausoleum and a striking mosque built in memory of this distinguished companion.

The first mosque was built in 1458, but it was collapsed and with the command of Sultan Selim III it was rebuilt by Uzun Hüseyin Efendi between 1798-1800. The mosque for the last time was repaired in the period of Sultan Mahmud II. A thunderbolt had fallen to the minaret looking through the sea, the upper gallery of minaret was rebuilt. Mosque, can be grouped a 8 graded mosque.

The Mosque and Mausoleum of Eyup Sultan, located outside the corner where the land walls meet the walls along the Golden Horn, is considered a sacred site for Moslems. Eyup-el-Ensari was a standard-bearer of Mohammed and he died-here during an Arabic siege of the city in the 7th century. His grave was discovered at the conquest and later the mausoleum and the first mosque in Istanbul were built on this site.

The original mosque was destroyed in an earthquake and the present one was constructed in its place in 1800. On Fridays, holy days for Islam, throngs of the faithful visit the mausoleum. The old trees, flocks of pigeons, the praying believers and the visiting crowds create a mystical and colorful atmosphere around the mosque and the mausoleum. The walls of the mausoleum in the courtyard are covered with tiles from different periods.

Historical sources indicate that in Byzantine times this district was also a holy site where people came to visit the grave of a saint and to pray for rain during times of drought. The sultans succeeding Mehmet the Conqueror completed their coronation and sword-bearing ceremonies with a visit to the Eyup Sultan Mausoleum.

The vicinity of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque and the neighboring hills are occupied by cemeteries. The famous Pierre Loti Cafe is also in this district. The well-known poet and author Loti was enraptured by Istanbul and he came here often to watch the beauties of the Golden Horn of those days. The view from this small cafe and the terrace, particularly during full moon, leaves long-lasting impressions on the visitors.

The Eyüp Sultan Mosque becomes particularly crowded during Friday prayer. People from other districts come for the prayer as well. For many people, praying Sunday’s dawn prayer at this mosque has become a tradition, and the mosque is filled to capacity for the occasion, with rows of the faithful spilling into the streets around the mosque.

The first prominent mosque of İstanbul, Eyüp Sultan Mosque, was the first mosque to be built after the conquest together with a madrasah, imaret (public kitchen) and hamam (public bathhouse) in memory of the distinguished companion.

The mosque has a rectangular design with a mihrab (a niche in the front wall, indicating the direction of prayer). The central dome rests on six columns and is supported by arches based on two piers. According to historical sources, the mosque has undergone several renovations since 1458. There are galleries surrounding three sides of the mosque. The mihrab is vaulted (eyvan) and the pulpit is made of marble. The seven domes of the mosque’s portico stand on six columns.

The mosque’s former minarets, which were shorter, were replaced by new higher minarets in 1733. The minaret facing the Golden Horn was rebuilt in 1823 as it was damaged by a thunderbolt. The Sinan Paşa pavilion located in front of the main gateway (of the inner courtyard) was demolished in 1798. An old plane tree now stands in the pavilion’s place, surrounded by railing and with a fountain on each of the four corners.

The first mosque built on the site was so badly damaged in the earthquake of 1776 that Sultan Selim III had to tear it down and rebuild it. A ceremony was held to reopen the mosque to worship in 1800. The mosque we see today is this second mosque built by Sultan Selim III. The mosque has a main dome of 17.50 meters in diameter and two minarets, built rather high according to the standards of 1723. The interior of the mosque is very plainly decorated, differentiating it from other mosques of the period, although the gilding decorating the mosque niche is eye-catching.

The most distinctive aspect of the complex is its mausoleum. It is octagonal in shape and has a single dome. The inner and outer walls of the mausoleum are covered with glazed tiles, and the lid of the sarcophagus is decorated with symbolic inscriptions. The protective shields in front of the sarcophagus are each a masterpiece, crafted out of pure silver.

The outer courtyard of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque has two gates opening to the street. The inner courtyard has 13 domes based on 12 columns. The main round-shaped fountain is located at the center of the inner courtyard. The marble gateway to the inner courtyard holds nine lines of inscription.

Another feature that distinguishes Eyüp Sultan is that it is perhaps the only mosque which is surrounded by a very large number of graveyards and mausoleums clustered closely together. Since Abu Ayyub al-Ansari’s mausoleum was built, thousands of prominent personalities as well as commoners have been buried in its vicinity. Both sides of the mosque house centuries-old graveyards of Ottoman family members and state officials. Today, the Eyüp graveyard is one of the largest in İstanbul, but it is difficult to find a plot there as almost every pious Muslim would like to be buried there in the hope of being raised on the Day of Judgment together with the Prophet’s companion, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.

The tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari
The tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Eyüp Sultan Türbesi) has always been a center of attraction, drawing a variety of people, including Ottoman sultans, throughout its history. Today, it remains the district’s nucleus and holds a special place in people’s hearts.

The tomb of Hz Eyyubu El-Ensari was built in 1458 in the surrounding walls of the mosque. The tomb was decorated with tiles after 16th century, it was restored in the period of Sultan Ahmed I and Sultan Mahmud II. Although the silver carvings and candlesticks belong to recent periods, it is said that the fountain on the rear of the sarcophagus was found during discovery of the grave. Eyüp Sultan Tomb became a visiting place for the Islam World for many centuries.

Eyüp Sultan’s tomb, built on an octagonal plan covered by a dome, was built from cut lime stone. Kütahya tiles are used in the inner design of the tomb, and the protective shields crafted out of pure silver by Sultan Selim III and a green pall, a souvenir of Sultan Mahmud II (1785-1839), cover the sarcophagus of Eyüp el-Ensari. Silver sülüs calligraphies, belonging to the calligraphers, Mustafa Rakım Efendi and Sultan Mahmud II, are prominent elements in the inner design of the tomb. As for that the bath of the complex, which was designed as a double bath, is one of the oldest Ottoman baths that continues to stand today.

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari still beckons thousands of people. Farmers from Anatolia, businessmen, statesmen, intellectuals, students, women from the countryside in their colorful local dress and foreigners all come to pay their respect, to recite verses of the Quran, to ask for the Creator’s blessing or simply to breathe the spiritual air radiating from area. For many people who come to visit İstanbul for whatever reason, Eyüp is a must see.

The number of visitors to the mosque and the tomb increases significantly during religious holidays, Friday prayers and the holy month of Ramadan in particular. Streets become overcrowded due to traffic during Ramadan, but despite having to wait in traffic for hours, they keep on coming. It is also a common tradition among newlyweds to visit the tomb as well as the mosque and for families to bring their sons to celebrate their circumcision.

Sultan Mehmet II had the tomb built in 1459 after his spiritual mentor, Akşemsettin, saw the burial site in a dream. A plane tree beside which al-Ansari’s body was discovered still stands in the middle of the inner courtyard of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque.

The outer and inner walls of the tomb are adorned with tiles. The single-domed tomb has an octagonal shape. That part of the tomb housing Abu Ayyub al-Ansari’s sarcophagus, enclosed in silver with beautifully adorned railings, is separated from the rest of the hall. The velvet curtains at the tomb are said to have been originally made for the shrine of the Prophet Mohammed, known as Rawdat-ul-Mutahhara (Dome of the Prophet); nevertheless the curtains could not be sent there due to the outbreak of World War I and were hung in Abu Ayyub al-Ansari’s tomb instead.

The mausoleum hall and the tomb chamber have been adorned with calligraphy, crystal chandeliers and silver decorations from different centuries. Furthermore, a footprint of the Prophet Mohammed in marble stone and framed in silver lays embedded in the wall that faces the direction of prayer.

Hamam
The hamam, which is also part of the complex, is one of the oldest Ottoman hamams still surviving today. The medresse and soup kitchen, however, are no longer standing. Another feature of the Eyüp Sultan Complex is that for hundreds of years people wanted to be buried near the tomb of Eyyüb el-Ensari. As a result, the complex is now surrounded by graves and tombs. Following their ascent to the throne, Ottoman sultans girded their sword in the vicinity of Eyüp Sultan Mosque. The tradition is said to date back even to Byzantine times, when new rulers of the city did the same to signify their standing.

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ERTUĞRUL TEKKE MOSQUE

Yıldız, Beşiktaş, İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°02'44.0"N 29°00'30.0"E / 41.045556, 29.008333



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The Ertuğrul Tekke Mosque, (Turkish: Ertuğrul Tekke Camii), is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in Yıldız neighbourhood, Serencebey rise of Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey. A late Ottoman period mosque, it is constructed as a külliye consisting of a tekke, guest house, türbe, fountain, and library in addition to the mosque.

The construction of the mosque and the külliye complex is commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II, and finished in 1887. It is dedicated to the founder of the Medeni branch of Shadhili (Turkish: Şaziliye) tariqa, a Tunisian sufi, Sheikh Hamza Zafir. The mosque is named after Ertuğrul Gazi, the father of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Osman I as a commendation to him.

The name also comes from the Ertuğrul regiment, a royal palace guard regiment who is compromised of Turks from the Domaniç region. Initially the complex only consisted of the mosque, tekke, and the guesthouse.

After the death of Sheikh Hamza Zafir in 1903, his türbe is constructed next to the mosque by the Italian architect Raimondo D'Aronco between 1905 and 1906. The library and the fountain are also added in this expansion. After the passing of Sheikh Hamza Zafir, his two brothers Muhammed Zafir Efendi and Beşir Zafir Efendi became the Sheikhs of the tekke. They are also buried in the türbe next to their elder brother.

The complex is mainly built as a guesthouse to various sheikhs and Islamic scholars that visits Istanbul from the Islamic world in an effort to strengthen the power of the position of the Caliphate in the Islamic world.

After the abolition of tekke's in 1925, the mosque and tekke are closed and the two guesthouse buildings are used as a primary school, Şair Nedim Primary School. Due to extensive wear over the years, all the buildings are closed in 1960. The mosque has been restored between 1969 and 1973 by the General Directorate for Foundations of the Republic of Turkey and it is opened to public in 1973.

Recently, all the buildings except the guesthouses have undergone through another restoration process. The restoration is started in 2008 and lasted for two years. The mosque and türbe opened to the public on 21 May 2010 by President Abdullah Gül. As of 2010, both the guesthouses are currently in a ruined state and are not used.

The mosque and the guesthouses are wooden constructions and represents the classical architecture of the late Ottoman period. The tomb, library, and the fountain are built in the Art Nouveau style.

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LITTLE HAGIA SOPHIA MOSQUE

Kumkapı, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'10.4"N 28°58'20.8"E / 41.002889, 28.972444



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Little Hagia Sophia (Turkish: Küçuk Ayasofya Camii), formerly the Church of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus, is a former Eastern Orthodox church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople, converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire.

This Byzantine building with a central dome plan was erected in the sixth century by Justinian, likely was a model for Hagia Sophia (St. Sophia), and is one of the most important early Byzantine buildings in Istanbul. It was recognized at the time as an adornment to the entire city, and a modern historian of the East Roman Empire has written that the church, "by the originality of its architecture and the sumptuousness of its carved decoration, ranks in Constantinople second only to St. Sophia itself".

The Küçük Ayasofya Mosque is identified as the Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, constructed by Justinian I (527-565) following his ascension to the throne and is often considered the pre-cursor to the Great Church of Hagia Sophia. It was built inside the sea walls along the Sea of Marmara and stood in close proximity to the Hormisdas Palace, Justinian's residence prior to his enthronement. Historical resources show that the church dedicated to the Sts. Sergius and Bacchus was built adjoining the north wall of an existing basilica dedicated to the Sts. Peter and Paul. The two churches shared a courtyard to the west and were surrounded by monastery buildings managed by the Monophysites.

Location
The building stands in Istanbul, in the district of Fatih and in the neighborhood of Kumkapı, at a short distance from the Marmara Sea, near the ruins of the Great Palace and to the south of the Hippodrome. It is now separated from the sea by the Sirkeci-Halkalı suburban railway line and the coastal road, Kennedy Avenue.

History

Byzantine period
According to later legend, during the reign of Justin I, his nephew Justinian had been accused of plotting against the throne and was sentenced to death, avoided after Saints Sergius and Bacchus appeared before Justin and vouched for Justinian’s innocence. He was freed and restored to his title of Caesar, and in gratitude vowed that he would dedicate a church to the saints once he became emperor. The construction of this Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, between 527 and 536 AD (only a short time before the erection of the Hagia Sophia between 532 and 537), was one of the first acts of the reign of Justinian I.

The new church lay at the border between the First and Τhird Regio of the City, in an irregular area between the Palace of Hormisdas (the house of Justinian before his accession to the throne) and the Church of the Saints Peter and Paul. Back then, the two churches shared the same narthex, atrium and propylaea. The new church became the center of the complex, and part still survives today, towards the south of the northern wall of one of the two other edifices. The church was one of the most important religious structures in Constantinople. Shortly after the building of the church a monastery bearing the same name was built near the edifice.

Construction of the new church began shortly before that of Hagia Sophia, built from 532 to 537. It was believed that the building had been designed by the same architects, Isidorus of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, as a kind of "dress rehearsal" for that of the largest church of the Byzantine Empire. However, the building is quite different in architectural detail from the Hagia Sophia and the notion that it was but a small-scale version has largely been discredited.

During the years 536 and 537, the Palace of Hormisdas became a Monophysite monastery, where followers of that sect, coming from the eastern regions of the Empire and escaping the persecutions against them, found protection by Empress Theodora. In year 551 Pope Vigilius, who some years before had been summoned to Constantinople by Justinian, found refuge in the church from the soldiers of the Emperor who wanted to capture him, and this attempt caused riots. During the Iconoclastic period the monastery became one of the centers of this movement in the City.

The nave is elaborately detailed with carved capitals, and the gallery entablature-inscribed with a poetic praise of Justinian and his wife, Theodora-has a delicate contour. To the west, the gallery joins an unadorned double-story narthex, separated only by a series of columns and piers. Three small bays, placed along the southern gallery, may have led into the adjoining Church Sts. Peter and Paul. This wall, as seen from the outside, is indeed the northern wall of the latter church that remains incorporated into the neighboring structure.

Ottoman period
After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the church remained untouched until the reign of Sultan Bayezid II. Then (between 1506 and 1513) it was transformed into a mosque by Hüseyin Ağa, the chief of the Aghas (Black Eunuchs), who were the custodians of the Bab-ı-Saadet (literally The Gate of Felicity in Ottoman Turkish) in the Sultan's residence, the Topkapı Palace. At that time the portico and madrasah were added to the church. In 1740 the Grand Vizier Hacı Ahmet Paşa restored the mosque and built the Şadırvan (ablution fountain). The fountain was later removed in 1938. In 1762 the minaret was first built. It was demolished in 1940 and built again in 1956.

Damaged in the earthquakes of 1648 and 1763, the complex was repair by Sultan Mahmud II in 1831. If anything had remained from adjoining Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, it was removed during the construction of a railroad passing immediately to the south of the mosque in the 1860s, transforming the topography of the site. The architecture of the former church, despite modifications to its doors and windows, has largely remained intact.

Hüseyin Ağa, the chief officer of the Ottoman Palace during the rule of Sultan Bayezid II (1481-1512), added the Ottoman narthex and built twenty-four zawiya cells enclosing the courtyard of the new complex, which he endowed with income from a nearby public bath and two hans near the Hagia Sophia. His tomb (türbe), built after his execution in 1510, lies in the walled cemetery that wraps around the north and east sides of the former church.

The pace of decay of the building, which already suffered because of humidity and earthquakes through the centuries, accelerated after the construction of the railway. Parts of St. Peter and Paul to the south of the building were demolished to accommodate the rail line. Other damage was caused by the building's use as housing for the refugees during the Balkan Wars.

Due to the increasing threats to the building's static integrity, it was added some years ago to the UNESCO watch list of endangered monuments. The World Monuments Fund added it to its Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in 2002, 2004, and 2006. After an extensive restoration which lasted several years and ended in September 2006, it has been opened again to the public and for worship.

Exterior Architecture
The complex is entered through three gates, north, south and west, which lead into a courtyard enclosed by the U-shaped zawiya on three sides. An inscriptive plaque located above the northern gate bears a saying of the Prophet. Located to the east of the courtyard, the mosque is entered through a five-bay classical Ottoman portico that precedes the narthex. Its central plan is composed of an octagon inscribed in a rectangle; the domed octagonal nave is outlined by a continuous gallery on two floors, which envelops the nave to the north, west and south.

The galleries terminate on either end of an apsidal sanctuary projecting to the east. Composed of sixteen ribs with eight windows, the nave dome is supported on eight wide arches that fall on eight heavy piers forming an octagon. The space between the piers is spanned by twenty-eight marble columns, two in each bay with the exception of the sanctuary, that form the double-story gallery. The upper gallery columns are interlaced with small arches and wooden balustrades.

Columns at the four corners of the nave are arranged to form semi-circular niches that are crowned with semi-domes at the upper gallery level. The nave is elaborately detailed with carved capitals, and the gallery entablature-inscribed with a poetic praise of Justinian and his wife, Theodora-has a delicate contour.

The exterior masonry of the structure adopts the usual technique of that period in Constantinople, which uses bricks sunk in thick beds of mortar. The walls are reinforced by chains made of small stone blocks. The building, the central plan of which was consciously repeated in the basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna and served as a model for the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan in the construction of the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, has the shape of an octagon inscribed in an irregular quadrilateral. It is surmounted by a beautiful umbrella dome in sixteen compartments with eight flat sections alternating with eight concave ones, standing on eight polygonal pillars.

The narthex lies on the west side, opposed to an antechoir. Many effects in the building were later used in Hagia Sophia: the exedrae expand the central nave on diagonal axes, colorful columns screen the ambulatories from the nave, and light and shadow contrast deeply on the sculpture of capitals and entablature. In front of the building there is a portico (which replaced the atrium) and a court (both added during the Ottoman period), with a small garden, a fountain for the ablutions and several small shops.

To the west, the gallery joins an unadorned double-story narthex, separated only by a series of columns and piers. Three small bays, placed along the southern gallery, may have led into the adjoining Church Sts. Peter and Paul. This wall, as seen from the outside, is indeed the northern wall of the latter church that remains incorporated into the neighboring structure. The mosque has a single minaret on the southwest corner, which dates from 1955.

Interior Architecture
Inside the edifice there is a beautiful two-storey colonnade which runs along the north, west and south sides, and bears an elegant inscription in twelve Greek hexameters dedicated to the Emperor Justinian, his wife, Theodora, and Saint Sergius, the patron-saint of the soldiers of the Roman army. For some unknown reason, Saint Bacchus is not mentioned. The columns are alternately of verd antique and red Synnada marble; the lower storey has 16, while the upper has 18. Many of the column capitals still bear the monograms of Justinian and Theodora.

Nothing remains of the original interior decoration of the church, which contemporary chroniclers describe as being covered in mosaics with walls of variegated marble. During the Ottoman conversion into a mosque, the windows and entrance were modified, floor level raised, and interior walls plastered.

The Küçük Ayasofya's interior is decorated and furnished as a mosque, with Arabic calligraphy and designs in blue painted on white walls. Originally, the walls and vault would have been completely covered in golden mosaics, like those that survive from this period in Ravenna, and probably frescoes as well.

Grounds
North of the edifice there is a small Muslim cemetery with the türbe of Hüseyin Ağa, the founder of the mosque.

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ŞEHZADE MOSQUE COMPLEX

Şehzadebaşı, Fatih - Istanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'51.0"N 28°57'25.0"E / 41.014167, 28.956944



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The Şehzade Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Şehzadebaşı neighborhood of district of Fatih, on the third hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is sometimes referred to as the “Prince's Mosque” in English. Located on the main artery connecting Beyazit to Edirnekapı, the site is bounded by the Divanyolu boulevard to its south and the Valens aqueduct, constructed during the Roman era, to its north. Its west side borders a park along Atatürk boulevard adjacent to Saraçhane Square. Overall, the site measures approximately 240 meters wide east to west and 160 meters long north to south.

The Şehzade Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Süleyman I in memory of his eldest son by Hürrem, Prince Mehmet, who died of smallpox at the age of 21 in 1543, though the cause for his death is disputed. It was the first major commission by the Imperial Architect Mimar Sinan, and was completed in 1548. It is considered by architectural historians as Sinan's first masterpiece of classical Ottoman architecture.

According its Persian inscription Şehzade Mosque and Complex was built by Imperial Architect Mimar Sinan between 1543 and 1548, on behalf of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent’s son by Hürrem, Şehzade Mehmet, who died of smallpox at the age of 21 in 1543 in Manisa. The general opinion is the Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent had started the construction on his own behalf; however, he dedicated this complex to his favourite son, who died in 22.

Şehzade complex (Külliye) consists of the mosque, the tomb (türbe) of Prince Mehmet (which was completed prior to the mosque), two Qur'an schools (medrese), a public kitchen (imaret) which served food to the poor, and a caravansarai. The mosque and its courtyard are surrounded by a wall that separates them from the rest of the complex.

Exterior Architecture
The mosque is surrounded by an inner colonnaded courtyard (avlu) with an area equal to that of the mosque itself. The courtyard is bordered by a portico with five domed bays on each side, with arches in alternating pink and white marble. At the center is an ablution fountain (şadırvan), which was a later donation from Sultan Murat IV. The two minarets have elaborate geometric sculpture in low bas-relief and occasional terracotta inlays.

The mosque itself has a square plan, covered by a central dome, flanked by four half-domes. The dome is supported by four piers, and has a diameter of 19 meters and it is 37 meters high. It was in this building that Sinan first adopted the technique of placing colonnaded galleries along the entire length of the north and south facades in order to conceal the buttresses.

Interior Architecture
The interior of the Şehzade Mosque has a symmetrical plan, with the area under the central dome expanded by use of four semidomes, one on each side, in the shape of a four leaf clover. This technique was not entirely successful, as it isolated the four huge piers needed to support the central dome, and was never again repeated by Sinan. The interior of the mosque has a very simple design, without galleries.

Complex
The complex is composed of several distinct structures within a polygonal walled perimeter. Şehzade complex (Külliye) is situated between Fatih Sultan Mehmet II and Sultan Bayezid II complexes. The Külliye consists of the mosque, and six unique mausolea (türbe) ( 1 of Prince Mehmet (which was completed prior to the mosque), two Qur'an schools (medrese), tabhane, elementary school, cemetery, a public kitchen (imaret) which served food to the poor, and a caravansarai.

The mosque and its courtyard are surrounded by a wall that separates them from the rest of the complex. Construction of the complex began in 1544 CE (AH 951) and was largely completed by 1549 CE (AH 956).

The complex is composed of several distinct structures within a polygonal walled perimeter. Overall, the site measures approximately 240 meters wide east to west and 160 meters long north to south. The mosque is located at the center of the walled site, surrounded by gardens and pathways leading to other buildings within the complex. The mosque is accessible from the north, south, and west via five primary entrances; three portals open into the avlu and two into the prayer hall. The qibla wall forms the eastern elevation of the mosque.

The plan of the mosque is composed of two adjacent squares, each measuring forty-two meters to a side. The western half of the mosque forms an avlu, a square central courtyard surrounded by a row of vaulted portico bays accented with white and pink marble voussoirs. The avlu is notable as the first example in Ottoman architecture of the use of an open-air portico, instead of enclosed galleries, as the surround for a mosque courtyard.

The octagonal marble ablution fountain in the center of the courtyard was donated after the original construction of the complex by Sultan Murat IV (1612-1640 CE / AH 1021-1050). At the center of the east wall of the avlu is a recessed portal leading into the prayer hall, topped by elaborate carved muqarnas.

The mosque's two minarets rise above the northeast and southeast corners of the avlu at the northwest and southwest corners of the prayer hall. The enclosed stairways of the minarets are accessed from small portals on the exterior of the mosque. The shafts of the twin minarets feature ornate decorative sculpture in the form of geometric bas-reliefs and inlaid terracotta panels.

The eastern half of the mosque is the enclosed prayer hall. The prayer hall features a symmetrical, centrally focused plan, as did many of Sinan's mosques. Just as in the portico to the west, the plan of the hall is organized according to a five aisle by five row grid, in which domed bays along the perimeter form a square border around a larger three bay by three bay space at the center. The corner bays are each slightly under eight meters square, while the bays along the center of each wall are approximately twenty-two meters long and eight meters deep.

Four massive pillars are located at the corners of the large central bay, whose interior spans nineteen meters square. The pillars each measure close to five meters square to provide support for the massive arches that frame the edges of the central bay. These four arches are flanked by semi-domes that cover the central bays along each wall of the prayer hall. The four arches also provide support for a nineteen-meter-wide dome that springs from pendentives over the center of the prayer hall.

The central dome rises to a maximum height of thirty-seven meters, suggesting a spherical space in section. Three-meter-deep galleries line the exteriors of the north and south walls to conceal large buttresses that provide additional structural support for the heavy central dome.

The interior is primarily of white stone, with polychrome Iznik tile work in radial geometric patterns at the centers of each dome and semi-dome of the ceiling, as well as within triangular panels on the squinches and pendentives. The voussoirs are finished in a pattern of alternating red and white stones to draw attention to the large arches supporting the roof. A large circular iron chandelier is suspended from the central dome above the red carpeted floor. The mihrab niche is surmounted by muqarnas and surrounded by large stained-glass windows.

Entrances to the prayer hall are located at the center of its north, west, and south walls, while the mihrab niche occupies the center of the east qibla wall. The minbar is located four meters to the south of the mihrab niche along the qibla wall. As the four pillars at the center of the support much of the load of the domed roof structure, the exterior walls have relatively little load to bear and thus are highly perforated to allow generous sunlight. Sinan revised this simple plan in his later imperial mosques to allow the support piers to be better integrated with the exterior walls of the prayer hall and thus less isolated near its center.

Though tabhanes were often directly attached to mosques later in Ottoman period, the tabhane at the Şehzade complex is a freestanding structure located to the east of the madrasa and north of the mosque, mausolea, and gardens. The tabhane is composed of a series of domed chambers designed to house pious travelers during short visits to the mosque. The tabhane is subdivided into three sections; the western and central sections are identical, while the larger eastern section features a unique interior organization and an adjacent trapezoidal courtyard.

The enclosed portion of the eastern section is composed of two aisles of domed bays, each four rows deep. The sections to the west are each subdivided into thirds, with two small domed chambers to both the east and west of a larger central domed space. The tabhane measures between sixty-two and sixty-seven meters wide east to west and between thirteen and twenty-four meters long north to south.

The complex is interrupted by Dede Efendi Street to the east of the tabhane and mausolea, and though the complex's perimeter wall creates a solid boundary along the street-edge, a hospice and elementary school affiliated with the mosque were constructed directly across the narrow street. The hospice is rectangular with a large central courtyard, measuring approximately twenty-five meters wide east to west and fifty-six meters long north to south. The elementary school is located adjacent and to the south of the hospice, a small square domed structure measuring ten meters to a side.

Opposite the elementary school, a small break in the complex perimeter wall allows entry to the gardens north of the mausolea. There is a second entrance opening to the courtyard of the tabhane, opposite the entrance to the hospice. The perimeter wall is further perforated to the east and south of the mausolea and to the south and west of the mosque in order to permit diverse points of entry to the complex, with no apparent primary gateway.

Mosque
The mosque has an area of 38 x 38 meters with a central dome that was constructed on four big columns. The dome has a diameter of 19 meters and a depth of 53 meters. The central dome was supported by four half-domes. The mosque has two minarets with two sherefes (minaret balcony) each with ornamentation and decoration pretty far from the architectural simplicity of that period. The nine domes of the mosque which encircle the courtyard have the same dimensions and the same height and form a symmetric unity with the fountain located in the middle of the complex.

Evliya Chelebi (1611-1684), the famous 17th century Ottoman traveler and writer, stated that the dome of the fountain had been built by Sultan Murad IV and praised the architect Sinan, due to the decoration of the minarets.

The mosque is located in the center of the complex. It is surrounded by a courtyard and contains an inner courtyard as well. In the middle of the interior courtyard is a domed reservoir used for ablutions. The minarets are found where the walls of the courtyard and mosque meet. The two minarets each have twin galleries and are unique in Istanbul due to their exterior ornamentation.

The main dome of the mosque rests on four elephant legs. The most striking of the structures within the mosque are the pulpit, niche and müezzin gallery. The medresse, primary school, soup kitchen and hospital are found to the north of the complex and were built in such a way as to constitute a courtyard wall.

The mosque is located at the center of the walled site, surrounded by gardens and pathways leading to other buildings within the complex. The mosque is accessible from the north, south, and west via five primary entrances; three portals open into the avlu and two into the prayer hall. The qibla wall forms the eastern elevation of the mosque.

The interior of the Şehzade Mosque has a symmetrical plan, with the area under the central dome expanded by use of four semidomes, one on each side, in the shape of a four leaf clover. This technique was not entirely successful, as it isolated the four huge piers needed to support the central dome, and was never again repeated by Sinan. The interior of the mosque has a very simple design, without galleries.

Because there is no column or wall dividing the interior of the mosque measuring 40.58 x 40.43 m, the view of the mosque is more attractive. The mosque was restored in 1616 after the fire of 1613. The two minarets, 41.5 m in height, having elaborate geometric decorations, were damaged during the fires of 1718 and 1722. The dome, 24 windows, is supported by four piers through large arches, and has a diameter of 18.7 m and it is 37 meters high.

The mosque’s courtyard is surrounded by a portico with 16 domes and 12 columns. It was in this building that Sinan first adopted the technique of placing colonnaded galleries along the entire length of the north and south facades in order to conceal the buttresses. The fountain, in the center, was built during the reign of Sultan Murat IV (1623 - 1640).

The mosque is surrounded by an inner colonnaded courtyard (avlu) with an area equal to that of the mosque itself. The courtyard is bordered by a portico with five domed bays on each side, with arches in alternating pink and white marble. At the center is an ablution fountain (şadırvan), which was a later donation from Sultan Murat IV. The two minarets have elaborate geometric sculpture in low bas-relief and occasional terracotta inlays.

The mosque itself has a square plan, covered by a central dome, flanked by four half-domes. The dome is supported by four piers, and has a diameter of 19 meters and it is 37 meters high. It was in this building that Sinan first adopted the technique of placing colonnaded galleries along the entire length of the north and south facades in order to conceal the buttresses.

The plan of the mosque is composed of two adjacent squares, each measuring forty-two meters to a side. The western half of the mosque forms an avlu, a square central courtyard surrounded by a row of vaulted portico bays accented with white and pink marble voussoirs. The avlu is notable as the first example in Ottoman architecture of the use of an open-air portico, instead of enclosed galleries, as the surround for a mosque courtyard.

The octagonal marble ablution fountain in the center of the courtyard was donated after the original construction of the complex by Sultan Murat IV (1612-1640 CE / AH 1021-1050). At the center of the east wall of the avlu is a recessed portal leading into the prayer hall, topped by elaborate carved muqarnas.

The Tombs
There are six mausoleums within the complex, five in an enclosed cemetery and one in the walls of the other court. The tomb of Şehzade Mehmed is one of the finest of them. The imperial mausoleums (türbe) are noted for their lavish use of İznik tiles. The first and largest is the türbe of Şehzade Mehmet, an octagonal structure, with polychrome stonework and terracotta window frames and arches and an opus sectile porch. The double dome is fluted. An inscription in Persian verse over the door gives the date of the Prince's death and suggests that the interior of the türbe is like a garden in Paradise.

The structure is supported by terracotta arches and roofed by a fluted dome. The tomb of Şehzade Mehmed is located at the center of the mausoleum, covered by a walnut baldachin. Openings in the walls allow for stained glass windows on all faces, as well as an entrance portal on the north elevation. A porch featuring inlaid opus sectile stonework leads to the entrance portal, which is surmounted by a commemorative inscription in Persian verse.

The starting year of the construction of the Tomb for Prince Mehmet was 1543 and it was completed in 1544. Walls of the tomb were covered with ceramics, and the windows have stained glass. Other than the tomb of Prince Mehmet, there are the sarcophagus of Cihangir, son of the the Süleyman the Magnificient who passed away in early age just like Prince Mehmet, the sarcophagus of Hümüşah, the daughter of the Süleyman the Magnificient, as well as three unknown sarcophagi in the tomb. Openings in the walls allow for stained glass windows on all faces, as well as an entrance portal on the north elevation.

Also designed by Sinan, the mausoleum of Grand Vizier Rüstem Paşa (1561-62 CE / AH 968-969) and his son were buried is located two meters south of Şehzade Mehmed's mausoleum. Rüstem Pasha was the son-in-law of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Like the mosque of Rüstem Paşa in Istanbul, the octagonal mausoleum features elaborate Iznik tile work.

The mausoleum of Şehzade Mahmud (d. 1603 CE / AH 1012), located five meters to the southwest of Şehzade Mehmed's structure, is a hexagonal structure measuring three meters to a side. Immediately to its south is the slightly smaller octagonal mausoleum of Seyhülislam Bostanzade Mehmed (d. 1598 CE / AH 1007).

Nine meters to the west, a larger octagonal mausoleum measuring four meters to a side honors Bosnian İbrahim Paşa (d. 1603 CE / AH 1012), Grand Vizier to and son-in-law of Sultan Murat II. Designed by Dalgıç Ahmed Ağa, this mausoleum is almost as large as that of Şehzade Mehmed.

Finally, the baldachin tomb of Şehzade Mehmed's granddaughter Fatma Sultan (1588-1589 CE / AH 996-997) is located ten meters to the east of Mehmed's mausoleum. This small domed square structure measures four meters to a side and is located adjacent to the eastern wall of the complex.

Also in the complex, Hatice Sultan, daughter to Sultan Murat III, Fatma Sultan, Şehzade Mehmet’s grandson, and Destari Mustafa Efendi, who was murdered in 1614, are buried.

Madrasah
It consists of 20 rooms, a bath, and eyvan, a vaulted room with one side open to a court that was used a dormitory for girls after 1950s. The Tabhane, (the hostel attached to a mosque where travelers (usually dervishes and mystics) could live free for three days), was located just like the Madrasah toward the east on the outer wall of courtyard.

This prayer room measures eleven meters to a side, and it projects five meters beyond the line of the exterior wall. The madrasa is accessible from the north via several entrances facing the Valens aqueduct, or by three central entrances along its south wall that face the mosque and mausolea within the Şehzade complex.

In the madrasah of the complex, completed between 1546 and 1547, there are 20 rooms and a classroom. The porticos were covered by glass cases while the madrasah was used as a dormitory for girls in the 1950s. The madrasa is located thirty-seven meters north of the mosque at the northwest corner of the complex. It follows a typical Ottoman organization in which twenty small cells and a second row of vaulted galleries are organized around a large rectangular central courtyard.

Overall, the madrasa measures forty-six meters wide east to west and thirty-two meters long north to south. Its regularity is broken by a square domed prayer room embedded at the center of the eastern wall. This prayer room measures eleven meters to a side, and it projects five meters beyond the line of the exterior wall. The madrasa is accessible from the north via several entrances facing the Valens aqueduct, or by three central entrances along its south wall that face the mosque and mausolea within the Sehzade complex.

The medrese of the Şehzade foundation is on the far side of the precinct, at the north-west corner. It is a handsome building of the usual form. The south side, facing the mosque precinct, has a portico but no cells. Opposite the entrance, instead of the usual dershane, is an open loggia, the lecture hall itself being in the centre of the east side; opposite, a passage between two cells leads to the lavatories.

The building has been well restored and is again in use as a residence for university students. In line with the medrese but farther east is the kervansaray, which now serves as a science laboratory for the adjacent Vefa Lisesi. This building is probably not by Sinan, though obviously contemporary, or nearly so, with the rest of the complex.

It has no door into the mosque precinct but is entered from the other side. It is L-shaped, the bottom stroke of the L consisting of a long, wide hall, its eight domes supported on three columns down its length; perpendicular to this is a block of eight cubicles with two spacious halls giving access to them. This interesting building is in good shape and makes a fine science laboratory.

Sıbyan Mektebi
The building located in the southern part of the Şehzade Complex, sometimes used as the printing house of Istanbul University, was Sıbyan Mektebi, an Ottoman elementary school. The entry porch of the school does not exist today; the window structure has been metamorphosed and the fireplace was removed when it was used as a warehouse.

Primary School
The Primary School, single - domed with a diameter of 7.5 m, measuring 9.5 x 9.5 m, is now used by the Foundation of İstanbul University Political Sciences Graduates

Daruzziyafe
There is another structure called Daruzziyafe (Restaurant, previously a soup kitchen in the 16th century) which consists of three sections and draws the attention of visitors.

Kitchen
The lodging room of the imaret (kitchen) is used as repositories of Vefa High School. The two roomed kitchens, facing a rectangular courtyard, have been devastated day by day due to the squalor and neglect. The hospice is rectangular with a large central courtyard, measuring approximately twenty-five meters wide east to west and fifty-six meters long north to south. Soup kitchen consists of kitchen, dining room, storeroom and cellar.

Tabhane
The Tabhane, (the hostel attached to a mosque where travelers (usually dervishes and mystics) could live free for three days), was located just like the Madrasah toward the east on the outer wall of courtyard. Though tabhanes were often directly attached to mosques later in Ottoman period, the tabhane at the Şehzade complex is a freestanding structure located to the east of the madrasa and north of the mosque, mausolea, and gardens.

The tabhane is composed of a series of domed chambers designed to house pious travelers during short visits to the mosque. The tabhane is subdivided into three sections; the western and central sections are identical, while the larger eastern section features a unique interior organization and an adjacent trapezoidal courtyard.

The enclosed portion of the eastern section is composed of two aisles of domed bays, each four rows deep. The sections to the west are each subdivided into thirds, with two small domed chambers to both the east and west of a larger central domed space. The tabhane measures between sixty-two and sixty-seven meters wide east to west and between thirteen and twenty-four meters long north to south.

The complex is interrupted by Dede Efendi Street to the east of the tabhane and mausolea, and though the complex's perimeter wall creates a solid boundary along the street-edge, a hospice and elementary school affiliated with the mosque were constructed directly across the narrow street.

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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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WEB SITE : Turkish Foundation Construction And Artworks of İstanbul

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Phone : +90 212 525 1294
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SEMİZ (CEDİD) ALİ PAŞA MADRASA

Karagümrük, Fatih - Istanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°01'31.8"N 28°56'27.1"E / 41.025500, 28.940861



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Beyond the türbe in the main street is an attractive medrese of the classical period, which has been restored and converted into a children’s clinic. This medrese, also called Zincirli Kuyu, was founded by another Ali Paşa who was Grand Vezir in the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent. Because of his great girth he was called Semiz Ali, that is Fat Ali, or sometimes Kalın Ali, Ali the Bear. It is a work of Sinan but presents no special features except the two symmetrical entrances on either side of the dershane.

He was one of the great characters of his time and was known for his wit and conviviality as well as for his honesty, a pleasant contrast to his predecessor Rüstem Paşa. Ali Paşa was a Dalmatian by birth and had been educated in the Palace School at the Saray, later becoming in turn Ağa of the Janissaries, Beylerbeyi of Rumelia, Second Vezir, and finally Grand Vezir. Since he died in office in 1564, the medrese must have been built before that time.

Semiz Ali Paşa madrasa is an example of the structures that are independent and not being a part of a complex. The building with 16 rooms (cells) in total was completed in 1559. The cells of the madrasa are constituted on three sides around a courtyard with a rectangular plan. The entrance and the lecture building are at the same axis.

The Semiz Ali Pasha Madrasa was built independent from any other complex of buildings, by Grand Vizier Semiz Ali Pasha, who was born in Bosnia. The madrasa has lost some of its original features over the years, due to various fires, earthquakes, and restoration attempts. During the reconstruction of the nearby Fevzi Pasha Avenue, an entrance was opened up on the solid wall facing the avenue, while the main entrance along the Hasan Fehmi Pasha Avenue was closed off.

The madrasa was damaged because of the Balat fire in 1729 and the earthquake in 1894. The missing parts of the madrasa are the eaves at the façade, the fountain at the courtyard and the staircase which leaded to the entrance.

Due to re-use of the madrasa, this staircase is removed and the main entrance is closed. It was restored in 1960 and staircases leading to the basement are added.  Another entrance was opened on the new road. Also, the portico of the madrasa is fitted with glass panes. Today, this madrasa building is being used as the Bilim ve İnsan Vakfı.

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Phone : +90 212 533 0455
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EKMEKÇİZADE AHMET PAŞA MADRASA

Vefa, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'53.7"N 28°57'32.0"E / 41.014917, 28.958889



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At the next corner we turn left on Kovacılar Caddesi and immediately on our right we see another ancient Ottoman building. This is the handsome medrese built some time before his death in 1618 by Ekmekçizade Ahmet Paşa, son of an Edirne baker, who rose to the rank of Defterdar (First Lord of the Treasury) and Vezir, and died one of the richest men in the Empire. The architect is considered to have been Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa.

Until a few years ago the medrese was a ruin, inhabited by gypsies, but now it has been partially restored. Those who like variations on a theme will be pleased to note some anomalies :  the right side of the court is occupied by the usual dershane, next to which, however, is a türbe of the same size, making the courtyard a bit lopsided.

Both still preserve remnants of a rather good painted decoration in domes and pendentives, a rich red with deep green meander patterns. The birdhouses, on the madrasah’s walls, are particularly interesting. Even in its half-restored condition this is an interesting monument and well worth a visit.

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WEB SITE : İbnü’l Emin Mahmut Kemal İnal Yüksek Tahsil Erkek Talebe Yurdu

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E-Mail : iyv@iyv.org.tr
Phone : +90 212 511 2290
Fax : +90 212 511 2291

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GAZANFER AĞA MADRASA

Saraçhanebaşı, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'58.7"N 28°57'19.6"E / 41.016306, 28.955444



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Established by Gazanfer Ağa in 1599, it includes a small medrese, the türbe of the founder, and a charming sebil with handsome grilled windows. Gazanfer Ağa was the younger brother of Cafer Ağa, whose medrese we saw next to Haghia Sophia. He was Chief of the White Eunuchs in the reign of Sultan Mehmet III. Gazanfer was the last of the White Eunuchs to control affairs in the Saray, for after his time the Chief Black Eunuch became the dominant figure.

The Gazanfer Ağa complex, which consists of an Ottoman medrese, a shrine and a fountain in Saraçhanebaşı, was restored as the new structure and  re-opened in 1989. Gazanfer Ağa Complex, which was probably built by the Architect Davut Ağa between 1590 and 1591, is one of the rare examples without a mosque in the center. It was restored many times after the fire of 1782 for various reasons.

Gazanfer Ağa built a small medrese and his own turbe near the Aqueduct of Valens and at a short distance from a small hammam designed by Mimar Sinan. Built in 1599, the Gazanfer Ağa Complex contained a medrese (religious school), sabil (water fountain) and a turbe (cemetary). The contrast in the typically Ottoman architecture, with its multiple domes and small turrets, is amplified by the shadowing Roman aqueduct next door.

It is the first place in Ottoman architecture where the patron’s tomb was built next to his work. The dodecagonal plan tomb was built with cut küfeki stone and it contains three sarcophagi. The madrasah with 17 rooms, which fulfilled its main function until 1914, was subsequently closed.

After the restoration between 1943 and 1944, the madrasah hosted the Belediye Museum until 1989. It was converted into the Cartoon and Humour Museum after the Belediye Museum.

Two triangular office towers rising over the ground floor pedestal and oriented to the roof garden on top of the ground floor. While their north and south façades are blank against the extreme weather conditions, other diagonal façades look to richly landscaped roof gardens.

Gazanfer Ağa and his brother Cafer Ağa were taken prisoner during the campaign of Hungary, and later entered the service of Şehzade Selim by converting into Islam. Şehzade Selim, before he ascended to the throne in 1566, invited Gazanfer Ağa and his brother Cafer Ağa to the palace to join his household, which they could do only as eunuch. Cafer died during surgery, but Gazanfer worked in senior positions for 30 year, before being executed by fatwa in the rebellion in 1603.

Gazanfer Ağa was the Head of the White Eunuchs had been captured when he was a boy; he became a servant of the future Sultan Selim II who convinced him to become an eunuch. With the favour of Nurbanu and Safiye Sultan he became one of the most influential persons in the government.

He served three sultans, but in 1603 Sultan Mehmet III had to face an almost open rebellion of the highest ranks of the army; they accused Gazanfer of ill advising the Sultan Mehmet III eventually was forced to sacrifice Gazanfer, who was murdered before his very eyes. Gazanfer was the last of the White Eunuchs to be the chief of the Harem; Sultan Mehmet III gave this role to a Black Eunuch.

Gazanfer Ağa was executed in 1603, having involved himself too deeply in the affairs of the Harem. The külliye was restored in 1945 and originally housed the Municipal Museum; it now serves as the Museum of Cartoons and Humour. Like most city museums, it has a rather provincial and neglected look, though some of the exhibits are not without interest. The cells of the medrese have had doors cut between them to form the galleries of the museum.

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SÜMBÜL EFENDİ DERVISH TEKKESİ

Kocamustafapaşa, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'13.3"N 28°55'43.9"E / 41.003694, 28.928861



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İstanbul is a city whose streets are filled with friends of God. Whichever suburb a person visits, they will encounter a dervish lodge or the türbe of a Sufi saint. At times, they are befuddled as to whose station they will call on, or upon whose soul will they send their supplications. But if the intention is set to tour a türbe, then, naturally, roads will lead to those best known. To Eyüp Sultan, for example. Or to Aziz Mahmut Hüdai or to Sümbül Efendi.

The fact that the türbe of Sümbül Efendi (Sünbül is the Turkish word for hyacinth (plant), a flower.) - an esteemed Ottoman scholar honoring Kocamustafapaşa’s Ali Fakih district with his presence for almost 500 years - has always been a center of attraction notwithstanding, it has begun to host an even greater number of visitors in recent years.

Whether it be through the efforts of the Fatih Municipal Council to renew the dergah, the Mevlevi dervish lodge, and its surroundings - the one-time center of Sufism - or through the videos of the young imam of the Sümbül Efendi Mosque, Hafız İbrahim Yıldız’s recital of the Quran being broadcast over the Internet, this place has come to life. In particular, the serving of soup to the mosque’s congregation following morning prayer on Sundays, as was the case during Sümbül Efendi’s time, has heightened interest in the mosque and türbe. The people wanting to prostrate in ritual prayer at Sümbül Efendi’s türbe and ask him to pray for them are filling the mosque’s courtyard.

The spiritual master of the Sümbüliye branch of the Halveti Sufi spiritual order, Sümbül Efendi, whose real name was Yusuf Bin Ali, was born in 1452 in Merzifon. He was educated from a very young age in İsparta and travelled to İstanbul to learn from the famous scholar of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Sultan Bayezid II era Efdalzâde Hamîdüddîn Efendi.

Through the initiative of Grand Vizier Koca Mustafa Paşa, he later established his dergah in what is now the Ali Fakir district adjacent to a church converted into a mosque. He contributed to the education and training of many scholars and Sufi saints. One of them was his son-in-law Merkez Efendi, whose türbe is situated in Zeytinburnu. Sümbül Efendi is at the same time the spiritual master of the Sümbüliye branch of the Halveti Sufi spiritual order.

There are many treatises describing the Halveti order in his name. He is also one from whom Ottoman sultans frequently requested prayers. According to one narration, he told Sultan Yavuz Selim that he would conquer Egypt. He passed away in the year 1529 and was buried in the courtyard of his dergah. Come along to Sümbül Efendi’s dergah.

Let me explain what you will encounter, if indeed you set out with the wish to visit Sümbül Efendi. Sümbül Efendi’s dergah is positioned right at the center of Kocamustafapaşa, built up around an expansive courtyard. Three separate doors lead from the courtyard to the outside suburb. The entrance of one of the doors is surrounded by a cemetery on both the right and left sides. The grave of one of the esteemed calligraphers of the day, Hafız Osman Efendi, is here.

Just beyond the cemetery is Sümbül Efendi’s türbe. It is very clean and well-looked after. Further along lies Şeyh Yakup Efendi, and to the north is Şeyh Hasan Adli Efendi’s grave. One must not forget to read the Fatiha while here. At the foot of Sümbül Efendi’s türbe lie the grandchildren of Caliph Ali, descended from his son Hüseyin. According to one narration, these twin sultans, as they are called, came to İstanbul with the Prophet’s companions for the conquest of İstanbul and passed away here.

According to another story, they were captured as prisoners of war by the Byzantines and thus came to İstanbul. The graves of these two sultans, Fatma and Sakine, were lost over time. Sümbül Efendi discovered that they were buried here. Their current türbe was subsequently constructed by Sultan Mahmud II. At the head of their türbe is a centuries-old cypress protected by a wooden structure. It is believed that this cypress was planted after their burial by Jabir, a companion of the Prophet.

The dergah has become a place frequented by Alevis due to the presence of these twin sultans. In the middle of the courtyard is the Sümbül Efendi Mosque. The mosque was in fact originally a Byzantine church. The church was converted into a mosque by Koca Mustafa Paşa upon the request of Sultan Bayezid II. The mosque has a constantly changing congregation. The last few years in particular, and with the influence of the mosque’s imam, the congregation has been teeming, even during morning prayers. The mosque itself, however, is in need of a restoration.

On both sides of the mosque is a medrese (school). These medreses are currently in use for the purpose of teaching the Quran to both boys and girls and raising hafız (those who memorize the entire Quran). It is an interesting fact that previously in the courtyard facing the türbes were gecekondus (shanty settlements) and some people who did not find these pleasant endeavored to remove them all. In addition to this, they constructed a tea garden and a library, all proceeds of which were to be used for the mosque.

Now anyone who visits does not leave without having a glass of tea first. Lastly, in the külliye (social complex) is the Sümbül Sinan Dergah. The dergah was restored by the Fatih Municipal Council this year and was officially opened. This wooden building is currently used as center that provides classes in classical Islamic arts. Upon exiting the dergah, one finds streets filled with traces of Sufism and the district’s old Ottoman past.

Sünbül Efendi died 1529 AD in Istanbul. The tomb of Sümbül Sinan Efendi is next to the Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque in Istanbul. The site of his tomb was once his Tekke and is now a mosque. The Tekke itself was once a convent that was abandoned after the conquest of Constantinople and handed over to the Khalwatis by the Sultan to use as a Tekke.

Almost all of the sheikhs who sat at the post of grand sheikh of this order are buried at the Tekke, including another noted Sheikh of this order, Merkez Efendi (d.1552) in Yenikapı. The tomb is frequently visited by Muslims, some of whom consider him to be a saint.

Sünbül Efendi lived during the reigns of Sultan Bayezid II, Yavuz Sultan Selim and Kanuni Sultan Süleyman and founded the Sünbüliyye branch of the Halvetiyye mystic sect. His real name was Yusuf Sünbül and he was born in Merzifon just after the conquest of Istanbul.

Sünbül Efendi’s teacher in Amasya was Çelebi Halife, who had attracted many students. While Prince Bayezid was the governor of Amasya, he spent time speaking with Çelebi Halife and after he ascended the throne he summoned the latter to Istanbul to be in charge of a church in Kocamustafapaşa that had been converted into a mosque and the large lodge, school and soup kitchen that had been built next to it. Sünbül Efendi was among those who came to Istanbul. Later he was to spend several years in Egypt and then return to Istanbul to take Çelebi Halife’s place after he died.

During his lifetime, Sünbül Efendi was responsible for a well that is known as the well of health. People visit it especially during the month of Muharrem (the first month of the Muslim lunar year) when the waters are supposed to rise to the top of the well to make it easier for those who want to drink.

Sünbül Efendi died in 1529 and is buried in the courtyard of the Kocamustafapaşa Mosque.

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