Bayezid Medresesi

Bayezid Madrasa, a madrasa built by Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II in Istanbul as part of the Bayezid complex between 1506 and 1508

Because a large rectangular pool was formerly located to the right of the entrance gate, it is also known among the public as the “Madrasa with Pool”

Construction of the Bayezid Madrasa began after the completion of the Bayezid Mosque. The madrasa, a building in the classic madrasa plan located to the northwest of the mosque and a little farther away, was completed in 1507. Its architect was Yusuf Bin Papas

The madrasa suffered major damage in the 1509 earthquake but was repaired immediately afterwards and became one of the city’s most important madrasas. Its endowment stipulated that the chief muftis should serve as teachers. However, due to the heavy workload of the chief muftis, it appears that they appointed deputies to teach

During the Republican era, after being used as a document distribution office, a settlement for the poor, and a dormitory for a time, it became a museum and library. The city library and the “Museum of Revolutionary Documents”, which began to be established in a wooden building in Şişli (the present‑day Atatürk Museum), was moved to the madrasa in 1931. The library was opened to the public on 10 July 1939 with an official ceremony. The museum part was transferred in 1945 to the Gazanfer Ağa Madrasa in the Şarçhanebaşı area; the library’s name became “Istanbul Municipal Library”. The library moved in 1981 to a new building in Taksim and began operating under the name Atatürk Library

After the library’s relocation, the Bayezid Madrasa was restored by the General Directorate of Foundations. For the first time, after the Calligraphy Museum, which opened in the Yavuz Selim Madrasa in 1968, moved to the Bayezid Madrasa, it was opened to visitors on 28 October 1984 as the Turkish Foundations Calligraphy Arts Museum