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Cerrahpaşa is a neighborhood in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located between Aksaray and Samatya.
Introduction to Cerrahpaşa
Cerrahpaşa is named for Cerrah Mehmed Pasha (d. 1604), a Grand Vizier under Sultan Mehmed III. It contains a number of historic Ottoman mosques as well as an important medical school. I’ve covered points of interest walking through the neighborhood from Aksaray to Samatya.
Cerrah Mehmed Pasha Mosque
First, walking southwest from Aksaray down Cerrahpaşa Street is the Cerrah Mehmed Pasha Mosque (Cerrah Mehmed Paşa Camii). It was commissioned by Cerrah Mehmed Pasha and completed in 1594. The architect was Davud Ağa (d. 1599). The mosque is also referred to as the Cerrahpaşa Mosque (Cerrahpaşa Camii).
The mosque was damaged by the Great Fire of 1660 and repaired the following year. It was damaged again during an earthquake in 1894, which toppled the minaret and destroyed the portico. The minaret was reconstructed in the early 20th century and the portico in 1982.
The portico contains seven bays supported by eight columns. Each bay is topped by a dome except the central bay, which contains the entrance portal.
The prayer hall is beautifully decorated with floral patterns and stained glass windows. The mihrab is carved out of marble and the minbar is made of wood. The mosque covers an area of 624 square meters while the whole complex is 3,360 square meters.
The main dome rests on six pillars with pointed arches forming six semi-domes. There are 18 windows in the dome of the drum.
The complex is surrounded by high walls. It consisted of the mosque, a hamam, a hexagonal marble fountain, a tomb, and another fountain on the northwest corner of the outer wall. The hamam no longer exists.
Tomb of Cerrah Mehmed Pasha
The tomb of Cerrah Mehmed Pasha is built into the wall of the complex near the northwest corner of the mosque. It’s made of cut stone and built on an octagonal plan topped with a dome. There are two windows on each side, one on top and one below. The lower windows are rectangular and framed with marble while the upper windows have a pointed arch. The underside of the dome features hand-drawn floral decorations.
Cerrah Mehmed Pasha served as the palace surgeon after he circumcised the son of Murad III who later went on to become Sultan Mehmed III. He later served as a Grand Vizier under Mehmed from 1598 to 1599. Cerrah Mehmed Pasha is buried alongside his son.
Gevherhan Sultan Madrasa
The Gevherhan Sultan Madrasa (Gevherhan Sultan Medresesi) is directly across the street from the main gate of the mosque. It was built in 1587 by Gevherhan Sultan (c. 1544 – c. 1624), the daughter of Sultan Selim II and wife of Cerrah Mehmed Pasha.
The building, which is considered part of the Cerrah Mehmed Pasha Mosque complex, contains 15 student cells and a classroom situated around a square courtyard. It was allocated to the Institute of Medical History (Tıp Tarihi Enstitüsü) in the 1970s and also served as the Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine Medical History Research Center (İstanbul Üniversitesi Cerrahpaşa Tıp Fakültesi Tıp Tarihi Arıştırma Merkezi).
Bulgur Palace
About a block west is Bulgur Palace (Bulgur Palas). It was commissioned by Mehmet Habib Bey (1878–1926) as the Bolulu Habib Bey Mansion (Bolulu Habib Bey Konağı) and designed in 1912 by Ottoman-Italian architect Giulio Mongeri (1873–1951). Its nickname comes from Habib Bey’s involvement in the grain and bulgur trade.
Habib Bey was arrested in 1918 and exiled to Malta in 1919, leaving construction unfinished. After his death in 1926, the property was confiscated by the Ottoman Bank as collateral for the family’s debts. The bank used it for a time as an archive and housed employees in the three apartments.
In 1955, Bulgur Palace was looted during the Istanbul pogrom because non-Muslim families were living there. The building was later abandoned. Ownership passed to Garanti Bank (now Garanti BBVA) when it acquired the Ottoman Bank in 2001, and it was sold to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 2021.
The city restored the building and converted it to a library, exhibition hall, and café. It opened to the public on February 28, 2024. It’s open daily except Mondays and admission is free (as of March 2025).
Features of Bulgur Palace
Bulgur Palace, which was designed in the First National architectural style, has 3 ½ stories and is made of brick. It has 3,750 square meters (40,400 square feet) of floor space and sits in a yard of 1,750 square meters (18,800 square feet). The library contains about 25,000 volumes.
At the top of the building is an observation tower. Unfortunately, it was closed for maintenance during my visit. The views are still spectacular from the third floor.
Exhibitions at Bulgur Palace
When I visited, I was able to enjoy the “Magnum in Istanbul” exhibition, which commemorated the 77th anniversary of Magnum Photos. It consisted of over 200 photographs by 70 artists. A special section displayed 30 photos by Turkish photographer Emin Özmen.
Kazım Bey Fountain
Around the corner from the entrance to Bulgur Palace you’ll find the attractive Kazım Bey Fountain (Kazım Bey Çeşmesi). It was built in 1854 on the cemetery wall of the Canbaziye Mosque (Canbaziye Camii). The fountain consists of a large mirror stone between two columns decorated with plant motifs.
Column of Arcadius
A few steps away to the north is the base of the Column of Arcadius (Στήλη του Αρκαδίου / Arkadyos Sütunu). The column was erected between 401 to 421 to commemorate Arcadius’ victory over the Goths under Gainas. It was roughly 31.92 meters (104.7 feet) tall and featured a spiraling frieze of reliefs on its shaft. An internal spiral staircase led to the top, where a colossal statue of Arcadius was placed by his son, Theodosius II. The statue, which fell in 740, was about 8.5 meters (28 feet) tall and rested on a pedestal about 4 meters (13 feet) high. The entire column was demolished sometime between 1711 and 1719, depending on the source, because it was at high risk of collapsing. Some fragments are on display in the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
The base of the Column of Arcadius is the last remnant of the Forum of Arcadius (Forum Arcadii / Φόρος τοῦ Ἀρκαδίου), which was built by Emperor Arcadius in 403. It was the last forum before reaching the Constantinian Walls of the city. During the Ottoman period, it served as a bazaar. The entire forum has been built over with houses.
Davud Pasha Mosque
Continuing west you’ll come to the Davud Pasha Mosque (Davud Paşa Camii). It was built by Koca Davud Pasha (1446-1498). According to an inscription, it was built in 1485. It has been affected by several earthquakes and has been renovated multiple times.
The mosque is fronted by a portico with five domed bays separated by six granite columns. The prayer hall is topped by a single dome. Guesthouses sit on either side of the prayer hall, each topped by two small domes. It’s one of the last surviving examples of an inverted T-plan mosque in Istanbul.
The mosque was part of a complex that included a madrasa, primary school, hamam, hospice, soup kitchen, tomb, and fountain. The hamam, almshouse, and soup kitchen have not survived, and the primary school was demolished to make way for the current Davutpaşa High School. The fountain was reconstructed in 1980.
Davud Pasha Madrasa
The madrasa is across the street from the mosque to the northeast. It was completed in 1499/1500 and was one of the first built in Constantinople after Ottoman conquest. It consists of a square central courtyard with 16 student cells behind arcades on the north and south sides. A domed classroom with a mihrab sits on the east side. Each student cell was equipped with a fireplace and shelves. The arcade was built with columns and capitals recycled from Byzantine structures.
Tomb of Davud Pasha
The tomb of Davud Pasha sits behind the mosque. It’s an octagonal domed structure constructed in 1485. The entrance is on the east side via a single domed portico supported by four columns. Davud Pasha was originally a Christian Albanian who was taken as a boy as part of the devşirme system. He was a commander of the Ottoman Army under Sultan Mehmed II and captured the city of Krüje in 1478. He was then appointed as the governor of Bosnia in 1479 before serving as Grand Vizier under Sultan Bayezid II from 1482 to 1497. Davud Pasha married a daughter of Bayezid II and died in Dimetoka (modern Didymoteicho, Greece).
Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha Mosque
Next is the Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha Mosque (Hekimoğlu Ali Paşa Camii). It was built between 1734 and 1735 by Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha (1689-1758). He was a Grand Vizier once under Sultan Osman III and twice under Sultan Mahmud I. The architects were Çuhadar Ömer Ağa and Hacı Mustafa Ağa.
The mosque has one central dome supported by six pillars and six semi-domes. There are more than 100 windows in 5 rows, and the muezzin’s loge features a marble railing. The complex included fountains, a library, a primary school, and the tombs of Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha, his wife Muhsine Hatun, and members of his family. I haven’t had a chance to pop inside, and it was under restoration the last time I walked by.
Hekimoğlu Ali Paşa Park
Next to the mosque you’ll find the pleasant Hekimoğlu Ali Paşa Park (Hekimoğlu Ali Paşa Parkı). It’s a beautifully landscaped green space with a couple cafés around the perimeter, a playground, covered picnic tables, and a fountain in the center. The park is popular with families and a nice place to stop and rest.
Section of the Propontis Wall
Finally, on the southern end of Cerrahpaşa, across Kennedy Avenue (Kennedy Caddesi), is a surviving section of the Propontis Wall. The Propontis Wall was a Byzantine sea wall lining the shore of the Marmara Sea. All in all, it was almost 8,460 meters long and 12 to 15 meters high with thirteen gates and 188 towers. Several sections were destroyed during construction of Kennedy Avenue in 1956-57.
The section in Cerrahpaşa is now a neglected public park. We were able to climb the walls and enjoy the views. It’s nice at sunset, but beware of unsavory characters and the pungent smell of urine.
