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Topkapı is a neighborhood in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. It sits along the Theodosian Walls and shouldn’t be confused with Topkapi Palace.
History
Topkapı, meaning Cannon Gate, corresponds to the Byzantine Gate of St. Romanus (Πόρτα τοῦ Ἁγίου Ρωμάνου). The Turkish name comes from the Basilic, which was a huge Ottoman cannon pointed at the Gate of St. Romanus during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Istanbul’s main bus terminal sat outside the city walls at Topkapı until 1994, when it moved to the Esenler Bus Terminal.
Getting There
The easiest way to get to Topkapı is to take the T1 tram line to the Pazartekke stop, or the M1 metro line to the Topkapı-Ulubatlı stop. The neighborhood sits north of the tram and south of the metro. I would usually take the tram to get there, work my way north, and head back home on the metro.
Manastır Mosque
First, a block east of the Pazartekke stop is the Manastır Mosque (Manastır Mescidi), also known as the Mustafa Çavuş Mosque (Mustafa Çavuş Mescidi). It’s a small Byzantine building that was built sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries. It most likely functioned as an oratory belonging to a monastery.
The building may have been part of the Monastery of the Holy Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora (Μονῆ τῶν Άγίων Μηνοδώρας, Μητροδώρας καὶ Νυμφοδώρας), or the nunnery Kyra Martha (Μονῆ τἠς Κὑρας Μάρθας). It was converted to a mosque in 1453 by Mustafa Çavuş, a page (çavuş) working for Mehmed the Conqueror.
The building is closed to worship in 1956 and now belongs to one of the city’s bus garages. It’s only possible to visit with written permission from the bus company.
Kara Ahmed Pasha Mosque
A short walk into the heart of the neighborhood is the Kara Ahmed Pasha Mosque (Kara Ahmed Paşa Camii), also known as the Gazi Ahmed Pasha Mosque (Gazi Ahmed Paşa Camii). It was commissioned by Kara Ahmed Pasha (d. 1555), a Grand Vizier under Süleyman the Magnificent. He was married to Fatma Sultan (1500-1573), a daughter of Sultan Selim I.
The mosque was designed by Mimar Sinan (1490-1588). Construction started in 1554 but was interrupted after Kara Ahmed Pasha was executed on September 29, 1555. Work resumed in 1565 and it was completed in 1572 along with a madrasa, tomb, lodges, soup kitchen, and primary school. The lodges and soup kitchen no longer exist.
The Kara Ahmed Pasha Mosque was repaired in 1696. The dome collapsed during an earthquake in 1894 and was immediately rebuilt. Its courtyard is surrounded by the cells of a madrasa, and in the center is an ablutions fountain (şadırvan).
The prayer hall is decorated with beautiful Iznik tiles dating from the mid 16th century. There are three galleries, and the dome is 12 meters (39 feet) in diameter.
Surp Nigoğayos Armenian Church
Along the Theodosian Walls near the Sulukule Gate is the Surp Nigoğayos Armenian Church (Surp Nigoğayos Ermeni Kilisesi). It was originally built in 1626, and was rebuilt in 1813 and 1823. The current church was built between 1831 and 1832 by Ottoman Armenian architect Vartan Kalfa Tıngıryan. The funds to build the church came from donations collected by Hacı Kaim Efendi, the imam of the Kara Ahmed Pasha Mosque.
The church was damaged in an earthquake in 1894 and used for military purposes during World War I. It was restored in 1987 and again in 2000.
Church of St. Nicholas
Finally, a few steps away is the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas (Ἅγιος Νικόλαος Τόπκαπι / Aya Nikola Rum Kilisesi). It was built in 1831 over the ruins of earlier churches and was originally dedicated to St. George.
