The Fatih Mosque (, "Conqueror's Mosque" in English) is an Ottoman mosque off Fevzi Paşa Caddesi in the

Fatih Fatih () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 15 km2, and its population is 368,227 (2022). It is home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the mayor's office, police headquarters, metro ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey. The original mosque was constructed between 1463 and 1470 on the site of the

Church of the Holy Apostles The Church of the Holy Apostles (, ''Agioi Apostoloi''; ), also known as the Imperial Polyandrion (imperial cemetery), was a Byzantine Eastern Orthodox church in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The first structure dated to ...

. Seriously damaged in the 1766 earthquake, it was rebuilt in 1771 to a different design. It is named after the Ottoman sultan

Mehmed the Conqueror Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

, known in Turkish as ''Fatih Sultan Mehmed'', who

conquered Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or legal prohibitions against conquest ...

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in 1453. The Sahn-ı Seman Medrese, once an important center for the study of theology, law, medicine, astronomy, physics and mathematics, formed part of the Fatih Mosque. It was founded by the Turkic astronomer

Ali Qushji Ala al-Dīn Ali ibn Muhammed (1403 – 18 December 1474), known as Ali Qushji (Ottoman Turkish language, Ottoman Turkish : علی قوشچی, ''kuşçu'' – falconry, falconer in Turkish language, Turkish; Latin: ''Ali Kushgii'') was a Tim ...

who had been invited by Mehmed to his court in Istanbul. The mosque complex was completely restored in 2009 and again ten years later. It reopened to worshippers in 2021.

History

The Fatih Mosque complex was a religious and social building of unprecedented size and complexity built in Istanbul between 1463 and 1470 by order of

Mehmed II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

.Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire, Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters, page 216 The 4th-century

was demolished to make way for the mosque. The

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

church had fallen into disrepair since the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

. Even though it was the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

church of the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...

, the

Ecumenical Patriarch The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...

was not permitted to carry out essential repairs to the structure. The church was the burial place of numerous Roman emperors, including

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

. Before the construction of the mosque, his

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

had been placed in the middle of twelve other sarchophagi representing the

Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

, in the symbolic place of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

. The Fatih Mosque was the first monumental project in the Ottoman imperial architectural tradition. It was built by the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

architect

Atik Sinan Sinan-i Atik, also known as Azadlı Sinan, and Atik Sinan (meaning Sinan the Freedman; ''azadlı'' shows that ''atik'' does not mean "old", and is used to distinguish him from Koca Mimar Sinan Agha), was an Ottoman architect for Sultan Mehmed II ...

.Van Millingen, Alexander (1912). Byzantine Churches of Constantinople. London: MacMillan & Co., p. 276. Fatih Camii - Aerial view

The original complex included eight

medrese Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

s, a library, a hospital ('' darüşşifa''), a dervish inn (''taphane''), a caravanserai, a market, a

hamam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the Islamic culture, culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...

, a primary school (''mektep'') a public kitchen (''

imaret Imaret, sometimes also known as a ''darüzziyafe'', is one of several names used to identify the public soup kitchens built throughout the Ottoman Empire from the 14th to the 19th centuries. These public kitchens were often part of a larger comp ...

'') for poor and a collection of 280 shops. Various tombs (

türbe ''Türbe'' refers to a Muslim mausoleum, tomb or grave often in the Turkish-speaking areas and for the mausolea of Ottoman sultans, nobles and notables. A typical türbe is located in the grounds of a mosque or complex, often endowed by the ...

s) were added at a later date. The original complex covered an almost square area of extending along the

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...

side of Fevzi Paşa Caddesi. The first mosque was badly damaged in the 1509 earthquake. After that it was repaired, but was then damaged again by earthquakes in 1557 and 1754 and repaired yet again. It was then completely destroyed by an earthquake on 22 May 1766 when the main dome collapsed and the walls were irreparably damaged. Commissioned by Sultan

Mustafa III Mustafa III (; ''Muṣṭafā-yi sālis''; 28 January 1717 – 21 January 1774) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1757 to 1774. He was a son of Sultan Ahmed III (1703–30), and his consort Mihrişah Kadın. He was succeeded b ...

, the current mosque (designed on a completely different plan) was built between 1767 and 1771 by the architect Mehmet Tahir Ağa.

Architecture

Exterior

The first Fatih Mosque had one central dome supported by a single semi-dome of the same diameter on the qibla side and suspended on four arches. its dome was 26 meter in diameter. The second

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

mosque built after the 1766 earthquake had a square plan. It has one central dome supported by four semi-domes. Only the courtyard, main entrance portal and lower portions of the minarets survive from the original construction. Reconstruction section of the original Fatih Mosque

Reconstruction section of the original Fatih Mosque

Interior

The present interior of the Fatih Mosque is essentially a copy of earlier designs invented by Sinan re-used repeatedly by himself and his successors throughout Istanbul (this technique is emulative of the Hagia Sophia). The 26 meter diameter center dome is supported by four semi-domes on each axis supported by four large marble columns. There are two

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s each with twin galleries. The

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

within the mosque and the

mimbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...

exhibit a

influence, but the white tiles lack the splendor of the

İznik İznik () is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 753 km2, and its population 44,236 (2022). The town is at the site of the ancient city of Nicaea, from which the modern name derives. The town lies in a fertile ...

tiles used in other mosques such as the

Rüstem Pasha Mosque The Rüstem Pasha Mosque () is an Ottoman mosque located in the Hasırcılar Çarşısı (Strawmat Weavers Market) in the Tahtakale neighborhood of the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey, near the Spice Bazaar. Named after Rüstem Pasha, who ...

. The

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

survived from the original construction.

Complex

As with other imperial mosques in Istanbul, the Fatih Mosque was designed as a '' kulliye'', or complex with adjacent structures to service both religious and cultural needs. To the north and south of the mosque are the Sahn-ı Seman, eight great medreses, four on each side. These buildings are symmetrical, and each contains 18 cells for four students and a ''dershane''. Annexes behind the medrese itself were lost to road construction. The medreses provided for about a thousand students, making it a large university for its time. The dervish inn, outside the southeast corner of the mosque precincts, has a courtyard supported by 16 different columns of verd antique and granite, probably salvaged from the Church of the Holy Apostles. Facing the dervish inn is the large Baroque ''türbe'' of Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...

's mother,

Nakşidil Sultan Nakşidil Sultan (; "''embroidered on the heart''"; also Nakşi Sultan; 1761 – 22 August 1817) was a consort of Sultan Abdul Hamid I, and '' Valide Sultan'' to their son Mahmud II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Background Origins According t ...

(1761-1817). The graveyard beside the mosque contains the tombs (''

s'') of Sultan

and his consort Gülbahar Hatun. Both were reconstructed after the earthquake. The ''türbe'' of the Conqueror has a lavishly decorated interior and is a popular site for official ceremonies. It was customary for new sultans to visit the tomb immediately after being invested with the Sword of Osman at

Eyüp Sultan Mosque The Eyüp Sultan Mosque () is a mosque in Eyüp district of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque complex includes a mausoleum marking the spot where Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Ebu Eyüp el-Ansari (Abu Ayyub al-Ansari), the standard-bearer and companion of the ...

. Gulbahar's ''türbe'' is more simple, with classic lines, and may closely resemble the original. The graveyard also contains the last resting places of many important state officials, including field marshal

Gazi Osman Pasha Osman Nuri Pasha (‎; 1832, Tokat, Ottoman Empire – 4 to 5 April 1900, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire), also known as Gazi Osman Pasha (), was an Ottoman Turkish field marshal. Being one of the most respected and decorated Ottoman pa ...

whose tomb was designed by Kemaleddin Bey. The distinguished Ottoman scholar and university professor

Halil İnalcık Halil İnalcık (7 September 1916 – 25 July 2016) was a Turkish historian. His highly influential research centered on social and economic approaches to the Ottoman Empire. His academic career started at Ankara University, where he completed h ...

was buried here in 2016. On one side of the mosque and connected to it is the domed Carullah Efendi Library which was built in 1724. One of its doors opens onto the street, while the other two open onto the inner courtyard of the mosque. The library is undergoing repairs, and the books are under protection at the Suleymaniye Library. The

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

was repaired in the 1980s and combined with new shops to begin functioning as a workplace. The hospital, market, kitchens and hamam of the original complex have been lost. File:Fatih Mosque 2504.jpg, Fatih Mosque west side File:Fatih Mosque 9248.jpg, Fatih Mosque interior File:Fatih Mosque 9254.jpg, Fatih Mosque ceiling File:Fatih Mosque 4889.jpg, Fatih Mosque interior File:Fatih Mosque 4897.jpg, Fatih Mosque Domes File:Fatih Mosque 9260.jpg, Fatih Mosque decoration File:Istanbul Fatih Mosque dec 2018 9499.jpg, Fatih Sultan Mosque fish eye File:Fatih Mosque 9256.jpg, Fatih Mosque group File:Fatih Mosque 9276.jpg, Fatih Mosque courtyard File:Fatih Cami on a beautiful spring day.jpg, Fatih Mosque courtyard

Influences

According to the Turkish historian Mehmet Aga-Oglu, the mosque is a representation of Islamic Persian medresse architecture and not Byzantine church architecture.David Gebhard, ''The Problem of Space in the Ottoman Mosque'', ''The Art Bulletin 45'', no. 3 (1963): 272. This opinion is supported by other Turkish academics that state Ottoman architecture is an extension of "Near Eastern architectural tradition".

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Images of the Fatih Mosque

Fatih Camii
(Turkish)
Over 90 pictures of the mosque and tombs
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1470 Mosques completed in the 1470s Ottoman mosques in Istanbul Mosques completed in the 1760s Religious buildings and structures completed in 1767 Mosque buildings with domes in Turkey Fatih 1767 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1470s establishments in the Ottoman Empire Sunni mosques in Turkey Mehmed II Mosque buildings with minarets in Turkey