Fatih Mosque

Fatih Mosque, named after its founder Fatih Sultan Mehmed, is a mosque located in the district of Foça in İzmir.

Construction

It is one of the important urban development activities in the region after the capture of Foça by Mehmed II. It was built in 1455. It is considered the first important structure from the Turkish period in Foça and is the oldest building in the district dating from the Ottoman era. Because it is a mosque commissioned by an Ottoman sultan, it is a sultan’s mosque, although it is not in its original state.

Fatih Mosque has two inscriptions. The one located at the courtyard gate is dated 1531. It states that the courtyard was enclosed at that date and that the courtyard gate was commissioned by a person named Mustafa Ağa. The other inscription is on the main entrance and records that the mosque was rebuilt in 1569-1570 by order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. This inscription reads: "This blessed mosque was built by Sultan Selim Khan’s son, Sultan Suleiman Khan, the possessor of charity and goodness. Temmet, Camian, Cediden. Year 977." The mosque was damaged in the earthquakes of 1709 and 1739, and the inscription on the stone door indicates that the mosque was repaired in Hijri 1307 (AD 1890).

Architecture

The rectangular‑plan mosque has load‑bearing walls built of a row of cut stone and a row of brick mortar, and its roof is wooden. The mosque has a six‑columned rear prayer area. The worship space is illuminated by a lower rectangular and an upper double row of plastered stained‑glass windows. The mihrab is a round niche. The mosque’s minaret has a cut‑stone base, a round shaft, and a single balcony.