OTTOMAN IMPERIAL MOSQUES
Ottoman sultans or other members of the dynasty commissioned these historic monuments. They were usually built as a külliye, a complex of buildings with a mosque in the centre, surrounded with madrasas, kitchens and other buildings for various charitable services for the poor.
The biggest are the 16th and 17th century complexes, although mosques built in the 18th and 19th century are equally significant. Fatih Sultan Mehmed constructed two big mosques in the 15th century, right after he conquered Constantinople. But these two original structures were destroyed by earthquakes or fires and were rebuilt at a later date.
The chief imperial architect Mimar Sinan constructed most of the existent complexes in Istanbul. The master architect of the Ottoman Empire for 50 years, he set the pattern for other külliye architects.
Many Ottoman imperial mosques are in other cities in Turkey. Bursa was the first proper capital of the Ottoman Empire and some historically very important religious temples are there. Other Ottoman imperial mosques are in Edirne, Konya, Amasya, Manisa and even in Damascus.
AYAZMA MOSQUE
Sultan Mustafa III ruled the Ottoman Empire for 17 years, between 1757 and 1774. He rebuilt or constructed several monumental structures during his reign, such as the Fatih and Laleli Mosque.
He also commissioned construction of the Ayazma Mosque in, at the time, prevailing 18th century Ottoman Baroque style. Mimar Mehmed Tahir built this mosque as a smaller version of the Nuruosmaniye Mosque. If you check photos of these two mosques carefully, you’ll see that they are identical. Thus, the Nuruosmaniye Mosque set the architectural model for future imperial mosques.
However, the main difference between this and other mosques is the Ayazma Mosque’s distinctive presentation of its its front façade. It consists of a wide semi-circular staircase that leads to a five-arched portico.
Rich Baroque carved stonework decorates the interior of the mosque, especially in the mihrab and minbar.
The Ayazma Mosque was completed in 1760. Sultan Mustafa III built this mosque in honour of his mother Mihrişah Kadin.
MIHRIŞAH KADIN
Now, a word about a woman that had this mosque built in her name. Emine Mihrişah Kadin was a consort of Sultan Ahmed III and the mother of Sultan Mustafa III.
She entered the imperial harem as a concubine. At that point, they gave her the slave name Mihrişah.
She had four sons with Sultan Ahmed III. After Ahmed’s deposition in 1730, his nephew Şehzade Mahmud became a new sultan. All women from Ahmed’s harem moved to the Eski Palace. Sultan Mahmud I died in 1754 and was succeeded by Sultan Osman III. However, Sultan Osman III ruled for three short years, as he died in 1757.
At that point, Şehzade Mustafa ascended the throne as Sultan Mustafa III.
But Mihrişah Kadin died in 1732, long before her son became a sultan. It means that she never held the powerful Valide Sultan title.
Her resting place is within the Turhan Hatice Sultan mausoleum, next to the Yeni Mosque.
Kadin was the title given to the imperial consorts, that entered into official usage at the end of the the 17th century. It remained in usage until the abolition of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.
Interestingly, they no longer called these women sultans.
SHOULD YOU GO TO SEE AYAZMA MOSQUE?
Undoubtedly, the Ayazma Mosque forms an integral part of the vast Ottoman heritage in Istanbul. Certainly, it’s not as popular as historic structures that you find in the most popular touristic areas of the city.
Also, it’s a copy of the Nuruosmaniye Mosque that every visitor inevitably sees during their sightseeing tours. In other words, once you’ve seen the Nuruosmaniye Mosque, perhaps there is no need to go and see the same mosque so far from the beaten track.
Having said that, the fact remains that the Ayazma Mosque is unique, made in the name of one of many important characters that existed during the long existence of the Ottoman Empire.
If you go to Üsküdar, make sure to see this building too. It’s a short, pleasant walk from the port and, on the way, you’ll also see some other interesting historic structures.
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