The Mahmut Pasha Mosque ( tr, Mahmut Paşa Camii) is a 15th-century Ottoman

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

near the Grand Bazaar in the

Fatih Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

History

The mosque was commissioned by the Greek Mahmud Pasha, the

grand vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

of Sultan

Mehmet II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

, who converted to Islam. Completed in 1464, it was one of the first buildings within the city walls built specifically as a mosque. Up to that time, most of the early mosques in the city were converted

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

churches. The ''

waqf A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or '' mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitabl ...

'' ( endowment) of the mosque and its associated charitable buildings was quite extensive, covering a number of different buildings across the surrounding district. This suggests that Mehmet II may have entrusted Mahmud Pasha with developing this district near the commercial heart of the city, just east and north of the area which would become the Grand Bazaar. The mosque was thus the centrepiece of this development. The mosque was completely restored and reopened in 2021. Restoration of the tomb was ongoing in 2022.

Architecture

The mosque is designed in the Bursa style with the main space covered by a number of identical domes. This is an early Ottoman style which was soon abandoned in favour of a single large dome with smaller extensions. In this case, the main space is a 2x1 rectangle covered with two identical domes, each with a diameter of . The mihrab and minbar are located on the short side of the rectangle. The areas on either side are each covered by a simple sloping roof. The entrance to the mosque is similar to that of a Byzantine church, with an outer porch (''exonarthex'') and an inner porch (''esonarthex''), each covered by five small domes. The columns holding up the outer porch were originally marble but were replaced by the present stone ones in the 18th century after damage by an earthquake. The mahfil was added in the 19th century, and the

mihrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', 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 w ...

and

minbar 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 ...

replaced; as a result, they are in a different style to the rest of the mosque. The octagonal mausoleum (''türbe'') of Mahmud Paşa in the grounds of the mosque is dated AH 878 (1473-74 CE) on an inscription at the entrance. Its exterior is decorated with

tiles Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...

forming

geometric patterns A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated l ...

turquoise Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of yea ...

and

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...

colours, a feature which is unique in Ottoman architecture in Istanbul. DSC04132 Istanbul - Mehmut Pasha Camii - Foto G. Dall'Orto 25-5-2006.jpg, View of the

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

of the mosque DSC04130 Istanbul - Mehmut Pasha Camii - Foto G. Dall'Orto 25-5-2006.jpg, Courtyard of the mosque Mahmut Pasha Mosque 4777.jpg, ''

Muqarnas Muqarnas ( ar, مقرنص; fa, مقرنس), also known in Iranian architecture as Ahoopāy ( fa, آهوپای) and in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe, is a form of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture. It is the archetypal form of I ...

'' and

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

over the mosque's entrance portal Istanbul asv2021-11 img39 Mahmut Pasha Mosque.jpg, Mahmut Pasha Mosque interior Mahmut Pasha turbesi DSCF1268.jpg, The ''türbe'' (mausoleum) of Mahmud Pasha, behind the mosque

Other buildings of the complex

Like many other Ottoman mosques, the Mahmut Pasha Mosque was part of a larger charitable complex, a ''

külliye A külliye ( ota, كلية) is a complex of buildings associated with Turkish architecture centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution, often based on a waqf (charitable foundation) and composed of a madrasa, a Dar al-Shifa ("cl ...

,'' composed of multiple buildings which were governed together through a ''

'' foundation (). The ''külliye'' of Mahmut Pasha included, in addition to the mosque and the mausoleum, a

hammam A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited f ...

(

public bathhouse Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

), a ''han'' or

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...

, a

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

, an

imaret Imaret, sometimes also known as a ''darüzziyafe'', is one of a few 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 complex ...

(

soup kitchen A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center, is a place where food is offered to the Hunger, hungry usually for free or sometimes at a below-market price (such as via coin donations upon visiting). Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoo ...

), a ''mahkeme'' (

courtroom A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse. In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual ...

), and a ''

mekteb A kuttab ( ar, كُتَّاب ''kuttāb'', plural: ''kataatiib'', ) or maktab ( ar, مَكْتَب) is a type of Primary school, elementary school in the Muslim world. Though the ''kuttab'' was primarily used for teaching children in reading, wri ...

'' (

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

). The waqf also specified the management of 27 houses, about 100 shops, and various other lodgings, storehouses, and stables, making this ''waqf'' foundation particularly wealthy for its kind. Of these, only the hammam and the caravanserai, and one section of the madrasa, have survived to the present day. The various buildings were scattered in different locations across the surrounding district. The revenues generated by the hammam and the caravanserai contributed to the upkeep and operations of the mosque. The

of the complex, located northwest of the mosque, was completed in 1466 CE, making it one of the oldest hammams in the city. Its architecture and layout is highly similar to the

Tahtakale Hamam The Tahtakale Hamam ( en, Tahtakale Baths) is a historic Ottoman hammam (public bathhouse; ) building in Istanbul, Turkey, close to the Rüstem Pasha Mosque in the Tahtakale neighbourhood, between the Grand Bazaar and Eminönü. Built during the ...

built by Mehmet II slightly earlier. It was originally a double hammam, meaning it had separate (but adjacent) facilities for men and for women, but the women's section was demolished at some later date. The hammam was also damaged by fire in 1755 and was restored in 1953. It served as a storage depot for a time but now serves as a shopping centre. The caravanserai of the Mahmut Pasha complex, located north of the hammam, is known today as the

Kürkçü Han The Kürkçü Han () is a large historic ''han'' ( caravanserai) in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mahmud Pasha, the grand vizier of Mehmet II, it was completed in 1467 and is the oldest surviving caravanserai in the city, although it has been mod ...

("Caravanserai of the

Fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

Merchants"). It was completed in 1467 and is the oldest surviving caravanserai in Istanbul, albeit with some modifications and restorations over time. The building contributed to the revenues of the mosque's ''waqf'' foundation by collecting

rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

from the shops and offices which occupied its many rooms (which at one point numbered 167). The caravanserai is still used by shops and businesses today.

History

Architecture

Other buildings of the complex

See also

References

Further reading