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The Kurşunlu Complex (Kurşunlu Külliyesi) is a historic mosque complex in Eskişehir, Turkey. It consists of several different buildings, many which are used as museums today. This entry includes the primary school, madrasa, and guesthouse.
Primary School
Starting to the east of the Kurşunlu Mosque and moving in a clockwise direction, the first building in the complex is the primary school (sıbyan mektebi). The primary school has a domed portico and one single domed room. If you look closely at the column capital, you’ll notice it was recycled from an earlier Byzantine structure. Today, the primary school is used as a library.
Madrasa
Next is the madrasa (medrese), which is an L-shaped structure at the southeast corner of the Kurşunlu Complex. Stairs lead up to a large domed room, which was used as the classroom. Today, whirling dervishes use it as a Semahane to perform the Sema ritual. The rest of the building contained student cells, each with a flat arched door and small window. The cells were 2.15 × 2.6 meters in size and contained a fireplace and cupboard.
Today, the section to the left of the classroom hosts the Meerschaum Gallery (Lületaşı Galerisi). On display are nearly 500 impressive works made of meerschaum, a soft white clay mineral found in abundance near Eskişehir. The gallery was established in 2008 as the only one of its kind in the world. It’s open daily except Mondays and admission is free.
Most of the works in the gallery are made by local artists. The majority are tobacco pipes, which is one of the most common meerschaum products. The student cells function as shops selling meerschaum jewelry and other items.
The cells to the right of the classroom are used as the Eskişehir Craft Bazaar (Eskişehir Sanatları Çarşısı). All sorts of souvenirs, jewelry, calligraphy, and other crafts are on sale.
Guesthouse
Continuing clockwise, the next building is the guesthouse (tabhane). It contains four identical domed rooms opening to a portico. A double-sided staircase leads up to the portico. Each room has a fireplace with a cupboard on each side. To the west of the guesthouse is the dining hall, which is covered in another post.
Today, the guesthouse serves as the Osman Yaşar Tanaçan Photo Gallery (Osman Yaşar Tanaçan Fotoğraf Galerisi). The gallery opened to visitors in June 2017. It’s open daily except Mondays and charges a small admission fee.
On display are over 350 models of cameras, photography equipment, photos, books, and magazines. They were all donated by local photographer Osman Yaşar Tanaçan and are spread out over the four rooms. The portico included an exhibition of local photographers.
