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 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.
SEHZADE MOSQUE
The Şehzade Mosque is on the 3rd hill of Istanbul. Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned this complex as a memorial to his son Şehzade Mehmed, who died in 1543.
It was Mimar Sinan’s first important imperial commission. He did make the much smaller Haseki Sultan Mosque dedicated to Hurrem Sultan in 1539. But this one was one of his most ambitious architectural works early in his very successful career.
Suleiman the Magnificent personally mourned Sehzade Mehmed’s death for forty days in a temporary tomb in Istanbul. At that site, Sinan constructed a lavish mausoleum, in what would become the graveyard behind the mosque in 1544.
Afterwards, the mosque and the rest of the complex were completed in 1548.
The entire complex, in addition to the mosque, consisted of a madrasa, a caravanserai, a soup kitchen (imaret), a small primary school (mektep) and a guesthouse (tabhane).
Behind the mosque, the cemetery contains several tombs.
SEHZADE MEHMED
Sehzade Mehmed was Suleiman’s favourite son. He was born in 1521, the year in which Suleiman the Magnificent conquered Belgrade. He died in 1543, on the way back to Istanbul after the victorious military campaign in Hungary, most likely of smallpox.
Although Sehzade Mehmed was Suleiman’s oldest son with his legal wife Hürrem Sultan, he wasn’t his eldest son. That was Sehzade Mustafa, whom he had with Mahidevran Sultan. Regardless, at the time of his untimely death, they were preparing Mehmed to take over the sultanate after Suleiman’s death.
SEHZADE MAHMUD
One more türbe that you can see in the graveyard behind the mosque is that of Sehzade Mahmud. He was the son of Sultan Mehmed III and Halime Sultan. His grandparents were Sultan Murad III and formidable Safiye Sultan. His brother was Sultan Mustafa I and half-brother Sultan Ahmed I.
But Mahmud didn’t live long enough to claim the Ottoman throne. His father executed him because he feared that Mahmud was going to overthrow him. It was all based on a letter that his superstitious mother sent to a religious seer to ask whether her son would become the new sultan. But Abdürrezzak Agha, the chief black eunuch of the harem, intercepted the reply sent by the seer and gave it to Sultan Mehmed and Safiye Sultan. In the letter, Sultan Mehmed’s death was predicted within six months, either by death or deposition, with Mahmud becoming the new sultan.
Mahmud didn’t know anything about the letter. Regardless, his father first tortured him and then killed him in 1603.
Sultan Mehmed III died six months later and Mahmud’s half-brother became Sultan Ahmed I. At that point, Mahmud’s remains were moved to this türbe behind the Shezhade Mosque.
The second coffin that you can see in the photo below is of his mother Halime Sultan.
Sultan Ahmed I stripped Safiye Sultan of all power and sent her to the Eski Palace. He also replaced the chief eunuch of the imperial harem, Abdürrezzak Agha, because of his role in Mahmud’s execution.
RUSTEM PASHA
In the graveyard behind the mosque, you can also see the tomb of Rustem Pasha, constructed by Mimar Sinan. To be buried in an imperial mosque, one had to either belong to the Ottoman imperial family or be connected to them in some special way.
Rustem Pasha, in addition to being Sultan Suleiman’s Grand Vizier, was also his son-in-low. He was married to Suleiman’s only daughter Mihrimah Sultan.
He was one of the most influential and successful Grand Viziers of the empire and also one of the wealthiest in its history.
Rustem Pasha died in 1561. His mosque was not built at the time of his death, thus he was buried in Shezhade Mosque.
BOSNALI IBRAHIM PASHA
One more person with a dedicated türbe in the graveyard behind the mosque is Bosnali Ibrahim Pasha. The same as Rustem Pasha, he was also married into the Ottoman dynasty to one of Sultan Mehmed III’s daughters, Ayşe Sultan.
Bosnali Ibrahim Pasha held the Grand Vizier office three times, each time for a relatively short period of time, until his death in 1601. He conquered the city of Kanije in Hungary.
Don’t confuse Bosnali Ibrahim Pasha with either Pargali Ibrahim Pasha or Nevşehirli Ibrahim Pasha. These two personalities were also Grand Viziers. Pargali served under Suleiman the Magnificent, while Nevşehirli held the office during the Tulip Era in early 18th century.
The Şehzade Mosque is a monumental structure. But there was no one visiting this mosque when I was there, although there were several worshippers.
It’s a pity that this historic structure may be overlooked, especially as it’s not far from the most central touristic area. It’s certainly an excellent example of the Islamic art and architecture.
In a way, it’s a shame that most tourists only see the most famous sites in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. In other words, most people visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace, while there are many other notable Ottoman era structures all over the city.
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