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The central part of the Fatih district of Istanbul is made up of several small neighborhoods. Most of the attractions in the area are mosques.
Introduction to “Fatih”
For this post, I’ll cover the area from the Fatih Mosque running northwest towards Edirnekapı and the Theodosian Walls. It’s made up of several neighborhoods. Some of them have undefined borders and because they’re in the central part of the district and near the Fatih Mosque, many locals refer to them collectively as “Fatih”.
Parts of these neighborhoods are very conservative. It’s a different world than down the hill in Fener or Balat. I haven’t had the chance to fully explore them because of time constraints, but when I do, I will add more to this post. Consider it incomplete until then.
Hırka-i Şerif
The neighborhood west of Fevzi Pasha Avenue and Akşemsettin Street is Hırka-i Şerif. It’s named for an important mosque in the area.
Mosque of the Blessed Mantle
The Mosque of the Blessed Mantle (Hırka-i Şerif Camii), for which the neighborhood is named, was built between 1847 and 1851 by Sultan Abdülmecid I to house the mantle of the Prophet Muhammad. The architect is unknown.
The mantle was given to Owais al-Qarani (594-656) in the 7th century and handed down through several generations to his descendants. Sultan Ahmed I brought it to Constantinople by decree in the beginning of the 17th century. The Uwaisi family moved to the city with the mantle and continued to protect it. The mantle was kept in a building next to the Çorlulu Ali Pasha complex off Beyazıt Square, and the Mosque of the Blessed Mantle was built when that building became insufficient.
The complex of the Mosque of the Blessed Mantle contained a mansion to house the Uwaisi family, a sultan’s pavilion, and servants’ quarters. The oldest male member of the Uwaisi family was charged with the mantle’s protection, and a proxy was chosen if that person was a minor. The mantle is only on display to the public during four weeks a year, from the first Friday of the Ramadan until the eve of Eid festivities.
The mosque was built with cut stone, and the prayer hall is a combination of rococo, baroque, and empire styles. It’s topped by a dome 11.5 meters in diameter. Decorations include calligraphy by Kazasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi (1801-1876) and Sultan Abdülmecid I.
Mesih Mehmed Pasha Mosque
A block south of Fevzi Pasha Avenue is the Mesih Mehmed Pasha Mosque (Mesih Mehmed Paşa Camii). The mosque was built between 1584 and 1586 by Hadim Mesih Mehmed Pasha (d. 1589), a eunuch who served as Grand Vizier under Sultan Murad III. The architect is thought to have been Mimar Sinan, but it can’t be proven how much influence he had on the design.
The dome has a diameter of 12.8 meters (42 feet). It sits on a drum containing 24 windows. The mosque was damaged by an earthquake in 1894 and restored in 1935. Hadim Mesih Mehmed Pasha is buried in a tomb next to the mosque.
Atikali
Atikali is a neighborhood running east of Fevzi Pasha Avenue and north of Yavuz Selim Street. It’s full of historic mosques, mostly along Nişanca Street. I’ve been able to visit just one of the five I have listed on the map below.
Nişancı Mehmed Pasha Mosque
The most impressive mosque I was able to visit in this part of Fatih is the Nişancı Mehmed Pasha Mosque (Nişancı Mehmed Paşa Camii). It was built between 1584 and 1589 by Nişancı Mehmed Pasha, a vizier under Sultan Murad III.
It’s believed that this was the last mosque designed by Mimar Sinan (1490-1588), who died a year before it was finished. Work carried on under architect Davud Ağa (c. 1540-1599). The complex consisted of the mosque, two madrasas, a fountain, cemetery, and the tomb of Nişancı Mehmed Pasha. A lodge was added later but it no longer exists.
The mosque was renovated in 1766 by Şükrullah Efendi, the grandson of Nişancı Mehmed Pasha. Another repair by Mekkizade Mustafa Asım Efendi (1762-1846), a Şeyhülislam (Shaykh al-Islam) under Sultan Mahmud II, took place in 1835. The government carried out further repairs in 1958.
The prayer hall is topped by a single dome resting on eight half domes. Four of the half domes are large and four are small. The dome includes several windows allowing in plenty of natural light to reflect off the white marble walls.
Draman
This neighborhood sits between Çarşamba, Atikali, and Edirnekapı. It also features a few historic mosques.
Odalar Mosque
Behind a home about a block down Müftü Street are the remains of the Odalar Mosque (Odalar Camii). It was originally a 9th century Byzantine church of unknown dedication that was rebuilt sometime between 1150 and 1175.
In 1475, the church was given to the Dominicans and used as the Church of St. Mary of Constantinople (Santa Maria di Costantinopoli). The congregation was mostly Genoese relocated from the Crimea. The church housed an icon of the Virgin Hodegetria which is now located at the Church of SS Peter and Paul in Galata.
The church was closed in 1636 and converted to the Odalar Mosque in 1640 by Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Pasha (1592-1644), a Grand Vizier under Sultans Murad IV and Ibrahim. The mosque was heavily damaged by fire on July 2, 1919, and later demolished. Frescoes discovered during excavations in 1934 and 1935 are now on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
Kasım Ağa Mosque
On the next block over, Koza Street, is the Kasım Ağa Mosque (Kasım Ağa Mescidi). It was originally a Byzantine church of unknown dedication. It may have been part of a monastery that also included the Odalar Mosque.
By the time the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, the church was already in ruins. In 1506, Kasım Bey bin Abdullah, who at that time may have been Ağa of the Janissaries (Sekbanbaşı) under Sultan Bayezid II, decided to build a mosque on the ruins of the church. It was damaged during an earthquake in 1894 and destroyed by fire on July 2, 1919. In the 1970s, it was restored and reopened to worship.
Kefeli Mosque
Finally, down Draman Avenue towards the Pammakaristos Church (Fethiye Museum) and the Çarşamba neighborhood, is the Kefeli Mosque (Kefeli Camii). The origin of the building is unknown, but tradition says it was built in the 9th century by Manuel the Armenian (d. ca. 1860), a Byzantine general under Emperor Theophilos. It’s thought to have been part of the Monastery of Manuel (Μονὴ τοῦ Μανουήλ), where Emperor Michael VII Doukas served as a priest after his abdication. The complex was rebuilt sometime between the 13th and 15th centuries.
In 1475, the church was given to local Armenians and Genoese relocated from the Crimea. It was dedicated to St. Nicholas and was jointly administered by the Dominicans and Armenians. There were two separate altars.
The church was converted to a mosque in 1630 by Topal Recep Pasha (d. 1632), who later served as a Grand Vizier under Sultan Murad IV. In exchange, the Armenians received a Greek Orthodox church in Balat, which is now the Surp Hıreşdagabed Armenian Church.
Cistern of Aetius
Along Fevzi Pasha Avenue towards Edirnekapı is the Cistern of Aetius (Κινστέρνη τοῦ Ἄετίου). It was once one of the largest Byzantine cisterns in Constantinople. It was built in 421 by Aetius, the praefectus urbi of Constantinople under Emperor Theodosius II.
The open-air reservoir was connected to the system supplying the Aqueduct of Valens. It was 244 meters (801 feet) long and 85 meters (279 feet) wide with a capacity of 66 to 79 million gallons of water. The average depth was between 13 meters (43 feet) and 15 meters (49 feet). Some of the original Roman walls used in its construction still exist.
The Cistern of Aetius was empty by 1540 and was used as a vegetable garden during Ottoman times. It was converted to a football stadium between 1926 and 1945. Vefa Stadium (Vefa Stadyumu), also known as Karagümrük Stadium (Karagümrük Stadyumu), hosts both Vefa SK and Fatih Karagümrük SK. The stadium was renovated in 2007 and has a capacity of 12,500.
