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The Şehzade Mosque (Şehzade Camii), located in the Şehzadebaşı neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, is part of one of the most beautiful mosque complexes in the city.
Brief History of the Şehzade Mosque
The Şehzade Mosque was built by architect Mimar Sinan (1490-1588) between 1543 and 1548. It was commissioned by Süleyman the Magnificent as a memorial to his favorite son, Şehzade Mehmed (1521-1543). The mosque was Mimar Sinan’s first major imperial project. Today, it’s included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Historic Areas of Istanbul, under the Suleymaniye Mosque and its Associated Component Area.
Features of the Şehzade Mosque
The Şehzade Mosque includes several interesting features, both architectural and aesthetic.
Courtyard of the Şehzade Mosque
The mosque features a grand forecourt that leads to a courtyard with porticoes on each side. Each portico contains five domed bays. In the center of the courtyard is an ablutions fountain (şadırvan) donated by Sultan Murad IV in the mid 17th century.
Minarets of the Şehzade Mosque
There are two minarets. Each has two balconies and is decorated with elaborate geometric sculptures and terra-cotta inlays.
Prayer Hall of the Şehzade Mosque
The prayer hall has a square plan and is modestly decorated. It measures 38 meters (125 feet) on each side. There are no galleries inside the mosque.
Dome of the Şehzade Mosque
There are four massive columns supporting the central dome and four half domes. The central dome has a diameter of 19 meters (62 feet) and is 37 meters (121 feet) high.
Şehzade Mosque Complex
The Şehzade Mosque Complex (Şehzade Külliyesi) was one of the most important in Istanbul. It consists of a madrasa, soup kitchen, primary school, and caravanserai. All of the buildings were built at the same time as the Şehzade Mosque by Mimar Sinan between 1543 and 1548. Most of the complex is attached to an outer courtyard to the north and east of the mosque. The outer courtyard is made up of a large grassy field.
Saraçhane Gate
First, the gate to the complex on the Saraçhane side was built in 1603 by Ayşe Sultan (1570-1605), the daughter of Murad III and sister of Mehmed III.
The Ayşe Sultan Fountain (Ayşe Sultan Çeşmesi) is attached to the gate. She had it built in 1603 in memory of her husband, Damat Ibrahim Pasha (1517-1601), who’s buried in a tomb within the complex.
Şehzade Mehmed Madrasa
On the north side of the outer courtyard is the Şehzade Mehmed Madrasa (Şehzade Mehmed Medresesi), which is believed to have been completed in 1546. The madrasa consisted of 1 classroom and 20 cells surrounding a courtyard with a fountain in the center. Each cell is covered by a dome and sits behind a domed portico. The classroom was also used for prayers.
Şehzade Mehmed Caravanserai
Next to the madrasa is the Şehzade Mehmed Caravanserai (Şehzade Mehmed Kervansarayı). It consists of two identical sections of two domed guesthouses on either side of a large domed hall. There’s also a rectangular barn covered by eight domes. Guests were allowed to stay for free for three days.
Şehzade Mehmed Soup Kitchen
Across Dede Efendi Street to the east is the Şehzade Mehmed Soup Kitchen (Şehzade Mehmed İmareti). It consists of two sections with six domes surrounding an inner courtyard with a square plan and no portico. It’s currently occupied by the Siyasal Foundation (Siyasal Vakfı).
Şehzade Mehmed Primary School
Next door to the south of the soup kitchen is the Şehzade Mehmed Primary School (Şehzade Mehmed Sıbyan Mektebi), which functioned as a primary school all the way up until the first years of the Turkish Republic. It was later used as a printing house for Istanbul University (İstanbul Üniversitesi). The building, which is on a 7.5 meter square plan, is also currently occupied by the Siyasal Foundation. The entrance portico has not survived.
Cemetery at the Şehzade Mosque Complex
There are a handful of important tombs located in the cemetery of the Şehzade Mosque Complex. After several years of restoration, I was finally able to visit the tombs for the first time in May 2022. Not all of them are open to the public, but it’s possible to look through the windows. Personally, it’s the most interesting section of the complex.
Tomb of Destari Mustafa Pasha
First, just inside the gate on the south side of the mosque is the tomb of Destari Mustafa Pasha (d. 1610 or 1614). He was a vizier under Ahmed I and was married to Ayşe Sultan, the daughter of Mehmed III and sister of Ahmed I. The tomb was built in 1611, and Destari Mustafa Pasha died in either 1610 or 1614. The tomb was closed but I was able to peek through a window on the side.
Tomb of Damat Ibrahim Pasha
Through a gate just east of the mosque is an area containing five large enclosed tombs and a small Ottoman cemetery. The first tomb belongs to Damat Ibrahim Pasha (1517-1601), also known as Bosnalı Ibrahim Pasha.
Damat Ibrahim Pasha, who was of Bosnian or Croatian origin, was forcefully taken to Constantinople as a young boy to be educated as part of the devşirme system. He later served as Grand Vizier three times under Mehmed III. Damat Ibrahim Pasha was married to Ayşe Sultan (1570-1605), the daughter of Murad III and sister of Mehmed III.
The tomb was designed by architect Dalgıç Ahmed Ağa (d. 1608) and built in 1603. Buried alongside Damat Ibrahim Pasha are his son and daughter, who both died at a young age.
Tomb of Şehzade Mahmud
Next is the tomb of Şehzade Mahmud (1587-1603). He was the son of Sultan Mehmed III and was very popular with the Janissaries. Şehzade Mahmud was thought to be very ambitious to take the throne. There were even rumors spreading throughout Constantinople that he would have his father poisoned. Because of this, Mehmed III had him executed by four deaf-mutes in the Imperial Harem of Topkapi Palace.
The tomb was closed but I was able to look through a window. It’s much simpler than the other tombs at the complex, with bare concrete walls. Şehzade Mahmud is buried alongside his mother, Halime Sultan (d. 1643).
Tomb of Hatice Sultan
Behind Şehzade Mahmud’s tomb is the tomb of Hatice Sultan (1590-?), the daughter of Sultan Mehmed III. She was married in 1604 to Damat Mirahur Mustafa Pasha and in 1612 to Damat Mahmud Pasha. Other information about her life is limited. Although her date of death is unknown, she built a tomb for herself at the Şehzade Mosque Complex. Hatice Sultan is buried alongside three children who died young.
Tomb of Şehzade Mehmed
The most luxurious of the tombs belongs to Şehzade Mehmed (1521-1543). He was the favorite son of Süleyman the Magnificent, who had the Şehzade Mosque Complex built in his memory.
Şehzade Mehmed died of smallpox in Manisa on November 6, 1543. His funeral prayers were performed at the Bayezid II Mosque and he was buried in the place where his tomb would later be built.
The octagonal shaped tomb was designed and built by Mimar Sinan. It’s richly decorated with yellow, green, and blue 16th century tiles. There are a total of 30 windows illuminating the tomb, including 2 windows on the upper and lower rows of each side. The door frame is made of colored marble.
The sarcophagus of Şehzade Mehmed is covered by a wooden structure symbolizing the throne of Süleyman the Magnificent turned upside-down. It’s believed that Süleyman thought Şehzade Mehmed would be the next sultan after him.
Also buried in his tomb is Şehzade Mehmed’s daughter, Hümaşah Sultan (1544-1582); his youngest brother, Şehzade Cihangir (1531-1553); and an unknown person.
Tomb of Rüstem Pasha
Rüstem Pasha (c. 1505-1561) is buried in the tomb behind Şehzade Mehmed. He served as Süleyman the Magnificent’s Grand Vizier twice, from 1544 to 1553 and again from 1555 until his death in 1561. He was born near Sarajevo to a Christian family of Croatian origin and was taken to Constantinople as a young boy to be brought up in the devşirme system. His surname may have been Opuković or Cigalic. Rüstem Pasha was married to Mihrimah Sultan (1522-1578), the daughter of Süleyman the Magnificent.
The tomb was built by Mimar Sinan in 1548. It’s beautifully decorated with 16th century tiles and is illuminated by a total of 17 windows. Rüstem Pasha is buried next to his son, Sultanzade Osman Bey (1546-1576). The tomb was closed so I took the picture through the window.
Tomb of Fatma Sultan
The final major tomb at the Şehzade Mosque Complex is an open tomb situated in the Ottoman cemetery. It belongs to Fatma Sultan (d. 1588), the granddaughter of Şehzade Mehmed and the daughter of Hümaşah Sultan and Ferhad Pasha (d. 1575).
Fatma Sultan had the tomb built after her husband, Mehmed Bey, died in 1586. She was buried there after her death two years later.
Ottoman Tombstones
The Ottoman cemetery at the Şehzade Mosque Complex contains good examples of Ottoman tombstones. There’s also a modern grave belonging to Prof. Dr. İlhan Varank (1971-2016). He was a popular professor killed during the July 15 coup attempt in Istanbul.
