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The Fatih Mosque (Fatih Camii) is one of the largest and most important mosques in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located in a busy area of the Fatih district along Fevzi Pasha Avenue.
History of the Fatih Mosque
The original Fatih Mosque was built between 1463 and 1470 by Mehmed the Conqueror. The architect was Atik Sinan, a member of Constantinople’s Greek community. In return, the sultan endowed the Church of St. Mary of the Mongols to the mother of Atik Sinan. It’s located in Fener and is the only Byzantine church in the city never converted to a mosque.
The mosque was damaged during earthquakes in 1509, 1557, and 1754, and was repaired each time. A powerful earthquake on May 22, 1766, caused the dome to collapse and completely destroyed the mosque. Sultan Mustafa III ordered the mosque to be rebuilt. Architect Mehmed Tahir Ağa finished construction in 1771 on a completely different design from the original mosque. It’s the Fatih Mosque we see today.
Church of the Holy Apostles
The Fatih Mosque was built on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles (Ἅγιοι Ἀπόστολοι / Havariyyun Kilisesi), which was a Byzantine church second in size and importance only to Hagia Sophia. The Church of the Holy Apostles was dedicated in 330 by Constantine the Great, rebuilt in 550 under Justinian I, and was demolished in 1462. It was in a dilapidated state several years before its demolition.
The church held important relics including the skulls of Saints Andrew, Luke, and Timothy, as well as part of the flagellation column of Christ. It was the burial place of several Byzantine emperors, including Constantine the Great (337), Theodosius I (395), Justinian I (565), Empress Theodora (548), and Irene of Athens (803).
The Church of the Holy Apostles served as the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople from 1453 to 1456 before moving to the Pammakaristos Church. It served as a model for St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, the Basilica of Saint John at Ephesus (now Selçuk), and the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua.
Features of the Fatih Mosque
The Fatih Mosque has several interesting features, both architectural and aesthetic.
Minarets
The two minarets are attached to the outer walls. The lower sections of the minarets are from the original 15th century mosque while the upper sections date back to 1771. Each minaret has two balconies.
Sundial
A couple interesting features adorn the exterior of the building. First, on the south side is a sundial built into the wall of the mosque. The original was created by Ali Qushji (1403-1474), a Timurid astronomer and physicist invited to the city by Mehmed the Conqueror. It’s the oldest sundial in Istanbul.
Sultan’s Loge
On the north side of the mosque is the private entrance of the Sultan. It leads up to the sultan’s loge and his private gallery in the prayer hall. The sultan’s loge wasn’t part of the original mosque and was added during its 18th century reconstruction.
Courtyard of the Fatih Mosque
The monumental entrance to the courtyard of the Fatih Mosque contains three portals. The courtyard is surrounded by colonnaded porticoes on all four sides. An ablutions fountain (şadırvan) sits in the center. Additional fountains are located on the exterior walls of the mosque. The courtyard and entrance portal date back to the original mosque.
Prayer Hall of the Fatih Mosque
The prayer hall is a copy of the original design by Atik Sinan. It’s decorated with beautiful calligraphy and the mihrab dates back to the original construction.
Dome of the Fatih Mosque
The prayer hall is topped by a dome 26 meters in diameter, which is the third largest in Istanbul after Hagia Sophia and the Süleymaniye Mosque. It’s supported by four semi domes.
Fatih Mosque Complex
The Fatih Mosque was part of a complex designed to meet both the religious and social needs of the local community. The Fatih Mosque Complex (Fatih Külliyesi) included a madrasa, library, hospital, asylum, caravanserai, hamam, bazaar, soup kitchen, primary school, guesthouse, and a cemetery containing the tombs of Mehmed the Conqueror and Gülbahar Hatun. Some of the buildings of the original complex have not survived.
Library
First, attached directly behind the Fatih Mosque is the library (kütüphane). It was built in 1742 by Sultan Mahmud I. One door opens to the path on the south side of the mosque while the other door is connected to the mosque itself.
The library’s collection was moved to the Süleymaniye Library at the Süleymaniye Mosque Complex. It contained over 5,500 volumes.
Sahn-ı Semân Madrasa
The Sahn-ı Semân Madrasa (Sahn-ı Semân Medrese) was the city’s first purpose-built madrasa after the Fall of Constantinople. It was founded by Ali Qushji. The Sultan’s goal was to make Constantinople a center of Islamic science, and the madrasa became the most prestigious educational center in the Ottoman Empire.
The Sahn-ı Semân Madrasa consisted of eight large madrasas, four on the north side of the complex and four on the south side. The madrasas on the north side are called the Black Sea Madrasas (Bahr-i Siyâh or Karadeniz Medreseleri) while the buildings on the south side are called the Mediterranean Madrasas (Bahr-i Sefîd or Akdeniz Medreseleri). The four buildings from east to west on each side are called the Baş Kurşunlu, Baş Çifte Kurşunlu, Ayak Çifte Kurşunlu, and Ayak Kurşunlu Madrasas.
The madrasas were completed in 1470 and are all symmetrical, measuring 300 x 300 meters (980 × 980 feet). Each madrasa contained 19 cells for housing 1 or 2 students as well as a large domed classroom. Each cell contained a fireplace and chimney and was topped by a small dome. This design became the model for future madrasas of the Ottoman Empire.
In addition, each large madrasa contained a smaller preparatory madrasa called a tetimme, which consisted of eight cells. The tetimme buildings of the Mediterranean Madrasas were demolished to make way for Fevzi Pasha Avenue.
The Sahn-ı Semân Madrasa operated until 1924. During my last visit in October 2023, the Mediterranean buildings were completely restored while the Black Sea buildings were under restoration.
Guesthouse
The guesthouse (tabhâne) is on the southeast corner. It was built on the same plan as the madrasa buildings. It contains a courtyard supported by 16 columns made of granite and verd antique that were probably recycled from the Church of the Holy Apostles. The dome of the mosque, which was destroyed by a powerful earthquake on May 22, 1766, was rebuilt in 1956. Today, the guesthouse functions as a middle school, therefore I was unable to enter.
Soup Kitchen
The soup kitchen (imaret) once stood behind the guesthouse. It served meals to complex officials, students living in the madrasa, and patients at the hospital.
Caravanserai
The caravanserai (kervansaray) is located under the guesthouse. It was partially demolished after the earthquake in 1766 and filled in with dirt. In the 1980s, the remains of the caravanserai were cleaned, restored, and combined with new shops built along Fevzi Pasha Avenue.
Hospital
Finally, the hospital (darüşşifa), which no longer exists, sat on the northeast corner of the Fatih Mosque Complex. It was built on a plan identical to the guesthouse and was the first Ottoman hospital in Constantinople. The cells and courtyard were demolished in 1824 under Sultan Mahmud II. The mosque portion was used as the Demirciler Masjid (Demirciler Mescidi) until it was destroyed in an earthquake on July 10, 1894. The last wall of the hospital’s mosque disappeared in the 1950s.
Cemetery at the Fatih Mosque Complex
The cemetery at the Fatih Mosque Complex contains four important tombs. They’re located behind the mosque to the east.
Tomb of Mehmed II
The most important tomb in the complex belongs to Sultan Mehmed II. The construction date is unknown, but the original tomb was destroyed by a powerful earthquake on May 22, 1766. It was rebuilt along with the mosque by Sultan Mustafa III. The architect was Mehmed Tahir Ağa, who designed it on an octagonal plan covered by a single dome. At the entrance is a porch with two columns.
Sultan Abdülhamid I repaired the tomb between 1784 and 1785 and placed a Kaaba cover on the sarcophagus. The decorations in the tomb date back to another repair by Sultan Abdülaziz between 1865 and 1866. He added beautiful designs from the floor to the dome as well as a crystal chandelier. Calligraphy panels and antique items complement the decor.
Biography of Mehmed II
Mehmed II (b. 1432, Edirne – d. 1481, Hünkârçayırı, near Gebze) was the 7th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1444-1446, 1451-1481). He was also known as Mehmed the Conqueror (Fatih Sultan Mehmet). He conquered Constantinople at the age of 21 and went on to take Serbia, Bosnia, Trebizond, Wallachia, Albania, parts of Greece, and other territories.
Mehmed II spoke Turkish, French, Latin, Greek, Serbian, Persian, Arabic, and Hebrew fluently, and was one of the most powerful and open-minded leaders of his time. He enacted several political and social reforms and encouraged the arts and sciences. As long as they were obedient to his rule, his subjects were allowed a great deal of religious freedom. Mehmed II also built Topkapi Palace. There’s substantial circumstantial evidence he died from poison administered by his doctor, possibly on the orders of his son, Sultan Bayezid II.
Tomb of Gülbahar Hatun
The second most important tomb at the Fatih Mosque belongs to Gülbahar Hatun (1432-1492). She was the chief consort of Mehmed the Conqueror and the mother of Sultan Bayezid II. Gülbahar Hatun was most likely of Albanian origin and her father may have converted to Islam.
The original tomb was built in 1492 but was destroyed in the 1766 earthquake. It was rebuilt in 1767 by Mehmed Tahir Ağa on the orders of Sultan Mustafa III. The tomb was built on an octagonal plan and topped with a dome. The interior is quite bare except for some drawings inside the dome and around the upper windows. Also buried inside is Gevherhan Hatun (c. 1446-c. 1514), the daughter of Gülbahar Hatun and Mehmed the Conqueror, as well as two unknown women from the Ottoman Imperial Court.
Tomb of Gazi Osman Pasha
A few steps further into the cemetery is the tomb of Gazi Osman Pasha (1832-1900). He was an Ottoman field marshal and four-time Minister of War, and one of the most decorated Ottoman military figures in history. The tomb was personally commissioned by Sultan Abdülhamid II and designed by Mimar Kemaleddin (1870-1927). It was built in the Neoclassical style on a square plan covered with a dome. The tomb is usually closed to visitors.
Grave of Kadir Topbaş
While walking through the cemetery, I noticed the grave of Kadir Topbaş (1945-2021). He was an architect and businessman who served as Mayor of Istanbul from 2004 to 2017.
Tomb of Nakşidil Sultan
Finally, built in its own walled complex to the east of the cemetery is the tomb of Nakşidil Sultan (c. 1761-1817). She was the ninth and final consort of Sultan Abdülhamid I and the mother of Sultan Mahmud II. Nakşidil Sultan may have been from Georgia and was known for building public fountains all over Constantinople. She died of tuberculosis.
The tomb is one of the most spectacular Baroque-style tombs in the city. It was probably built after the death of Nakşidil Sultan and completed in 1818 along with the rest of the complex. The entrance features a portico resting on eight columns while the façade facing the street has two rows of windows placed between wavy cornices. All of the inscriptions were written by Ottoman calligrapher Mustafa Râkim Efendi (1757-1826).
There 14 sarcophagi in the tomb. Burials include Cevri Kalfa, a concubine who saved the life of Sultan Mahmud II during the Janissary revolt of 1808 and was rewarded with the position of Chief Treasurer of the Imperial Harem; Sultan Mahmud II’s daughters Mihrimah Sultan (1812-1838), Münîre Sultan (1824-1825, died of smallpox), Fatma Sultan (1811-1825, died of smallpox), and Hayriye Sultan (1832-1833); Sultan Mahmud II’s sons Abdülhamid (1813-1825, died of smallpox) and Nizâmeddin (1833-1838); Sultan Mahmud II’s consorts Zeyni Felek Hanım (d. 1842), Misli Nayab Kadın Efendi (d. 1825), Zernigâr Kadın (d. 1832), Kamerfer Kadın (d. 1823), and Ebureftar Kadın (d. 1825); and one unknown burial.
In addition to the tomb, the Nakşidil Sultan Complex contained a public fountain, which is currently being used as a Quran course for girls; a small marble fountain facing facing Mıhçılar Street; a small cemetery; and a primary school.
