Haseki Sultan Mosque – Istanbul

Of all Ottoman heritage in Istanbul, surely the most visible are monumental imperial mosques. The biggest complexes are from the 16th and 17th century, although mosques built in the 18th and 19th century are equally significant. Fatih Sultan Mehmed constructed two big mosque complexes in the 15th century, right after he conquered Constantinople. But these two original complexes were destroyed by earthquakes or fires and were rebuilt at a later date. Thus, this makes the Haseki Sultan Mosque the third oldest major imperial mosque complex in Istanbul.

 

 

OTTOMAN IMPERIAL MOSQUES

 

These historic structures were commissioned either by Ottoman sultans or other members of the dynasty. They were usually built as 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 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 capital of the Ottoman empire and some historically very important temples are there. Other Ottoman imperial mosques are in Edirne, Konya, Amasya, Manisa and even in Damascus.

 

 

 

HASEKI SULTAN MOSQUE

 

Perhaps, the most important historic site in Hurrem Sultan’s name is the Haseki Sultan Complex, consisting of a mosque, a madrasa, a hospital (darüşşifa), an elementary school (mektep) and a soup kitchen (imaret).

 

 

Hurrem commissioned and financed construction of this complex soon after her marriage to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, by using her dowry.

 

 

What’s very special about this complex is that it was the first of Mimar Sinan’s many imperial projects. He completed the works in stages.

 

 

So, the mosque was finished in 1539, the madrasa in 1540, the soup-kitchen in 1541. Finally, the hospital opened in 1551.

 

 

 

 

Hurrem’s life was, more or less, the life of a fairy-tale princess. Ottomans captured her at a young age and took her as a slave to the Topkapi Palace. But she became one of the most powerful women in the history of the Ottoman Empire.

Suleiman the Magnificent loved her so much that, because of her, he broke many established rules of the Ottoman dynasty. Hurrem Sultan derived her power from Suleiman’s love and played an active role in the state affairs.

Suleiman married her in a magnificent ceremony in either 1553 or 1534. The marriage broke the 200-year old custom according to which the sultans should not marry their concubines. Thus, Hurrem became Suleiman’s legal wife.

Additionally, she was the first sultan’s favourite to receive the Haseki Sultan title. That title elevated her to the status higher than that of the Ottoman princesses, equal to the Empress title in the European courts.

Next, Hurrem had six children with Suleiman and one of her sons, Selim, became a sultan after his father’s death. But she never held the Valide Sultan title, because she died much earlier.

This broke another rule of the Ottoman harem: one concubine mother – one son. Suleiman allowed Hurrem to have more than one son, in fact she gave him five sons.

 

 

One more tradition that Suleiman broke because of Hurrem was that she remained in the imperial palace in Istanbul all her life. Traditionally, the sultan’s sons would leave the harem and the palace at the age of 16 or 17, to govern faraway provinces in preparation of becoming sultans one day.

The mothers would also leave with them and would come back to the Topkapi Palace only if their son became the new sultan. But Hurrem stayed in the palace with her youngest hunchback son Cihangir.

Finally, Hurrem moved from the Old Palace to the Topkapi Palace. Fatih Sultan Mehmed issued a decree that specifically banned women from living in the Topkapi Palace, because it was the place for government business.

She died in 1558 and is buried in a mausoleum behind the Suleymaniye Mosque.

 

 

This mosque is close to Cerrah Mehmed Pasha Mosque, in a historic area of Istanbul that I mentioned in my post “Ottoman Istanbul”. But it means that, as it’s rather far from the city’s most central area, not many tourists go there. However, this nearly 500 years old mosque should be of great interest to people interested in Ottoman history.

If for no other reason, you should visits this mosque complex only because it carries the name of one of the most powerful personalities from the Sultanate of Women era in Ottoman history.

 

 

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