Fatih Mosque

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Fatih Mosque 1890

The Fatih Mosque Complex is a large mosque with its many dependencies in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. Fatih Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror had the complex constructed by the architect Atik Sinan in 1463-1470, on the site of the former Church of the Holy Apostles, which was demolished in favor of it. It was the largest example of Turkish-Islamic architecture to that date and represented an important stage in the development of classic Turkish architecture. The original mosque was destroyed by the earthquake of 1766; the current mosque dates from 1767.

The complex includes a set of well-planned buildings constructed around the mosque. They include a medrese, a library, a hospital, a hospice, a caravanserai, a market, a hamam, and various tombs which were added at a later date. It extends along the Golden Horn side of Fevzipasa Street.

The original mosque at the center of the complex no longer stands today, Fatih Mosque, which now exists, was built near the end of the 18th century. The first (original) 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. In the earthquake of 1766, however, the main dome was collapsed and the walls were irreparably damaged. Sultan Mustafa III, had a new and completely different mosque built on the site in 1767. The present day mosque was designed by the architect, Mimar Mehmet Tahir.

Fatih Mosque was constructed in the classic mosque style, but the Baroque influence can be seen on decorations. A large dome 26 meters in diameter is supported by four half-domes and rests upon four large marble columns. There are two minarets each with twin galleries. The calligraphy within the mosque exhibits a Baroque influence. The other important elements of the complex are theme dresses. Situated on both sides of the mosque, they were foundation of Istanbul's universities and ensured the city's place as a center of education. The medreses underwent various repairs, but were partially destroyed as a result of road construction; eight of them exists today. On the kiblah (Mecca) side of the mosque, connected to it, stands a library which was built in 1724. The library is domed and one of its doors opens onto the street, while the two other open onto the inner courtyard of the mosque. The library is presently undergoing repairs, and the books are under protection at the Suleymaniye Libarary.

On the kiblah side of the complex are tombs of Sultan Mehmed II, his wife, Gulbahar Hatun, and Sultan Mahmud II's mother, Naksh-i Dil Sultana. In addition to the tombs, a large number of graves belonging to leading state officials can be found in the enclosed cemetery, such as Osman Nuri Pasha.

The caravanserai in the complex was repaired in the 1980's and combined with new shops to begin functioning as a workplace. The hospital, market and hamam belonging to the complex no longer exist.