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Cerrahpaşa is a neighborhood in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located between Aksaray and Samatya.
Cerrahpaşa is named for Cerrah Mehmed Pasha (d. 1604), a Grand Vizier under Sultan Mehmed III. It contains a number of historic Ottoman mosques as well as an important medical school. This entry will be incomplete until I have a good opportunity to explore the area thoroughly. Everything included here is from walking through Cerrahpaşa to get to Samatya.
Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha Mosque
First is the Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha Mosque (Hekimoğlu Ali Paşa Camii). It was built between 1734 and 1735 by Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha (1689-1758). He was a Grand Vizier once under Sultan Osman III and twice under Sultan Mahmud I. The architects were Çuhadar Ömer Ağa and Hacı Mustafa Ağa.
The mosque has one central dome supported by five half domes. The complex includes fountains, a library, and the tombs of Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha, his wife Muhsine Hatun, and members of his family. I haven’t had a chance to pop inside.
Assumption of the Virgin Greek Orthodox Church
Across the street is the Assumption of the Virgin Greek Orthodox Church (Κοίμηση της Θεοτόκου / Altı Mermer Panayia Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi), which was built in the 17th century.
A Byzantine church dating back to at least 604 may have once stood on the site. That church probably functioned as part of the Gorgoepikoos Monastery (Γοργοεπήκοος Εξι Μαρμάρων).
Cistern of Mocius
A few blocks north of the church is the Cistern of Mocius (Κινστέρνη τοῦ Μωκίου / Altımermer Çukurbostanı). Τechnically not in Cerrahpaşa but in the Altımermer neighborhood, it was the largest Byzantine open-air reservoir built in Constantinople. It was built under Emperor Anastasius I Dicorus in the late 5th or early 6th century.
The cistern was built outside the Wall of Constantine to supply water to new quarters of the city within the Theodosian Walls. It was probably empty by 1540 and was used as a vegetable garden until the end of the 20th century. It’s now a park with social and sporting areas.
The Cistern of Mocius measured 170 meters (560 feet) long and 147 meters (482 feet) wide, and covered an area of 25,000 square meters (270,000 square feet). It may have been between 10 ½ meters (34.4 feet) to 15 meters (49 feet) deep, with a capacity of 69 to 98 million gallons of water.
