Fevziye Mosque

Fevziye Mosque, located in the İzmit district of Kocaeli, is a mosque first built in the 16th century that carries cultural heritage value.

It is in the center of present-day İzmit, on Hürriyet Street in the Kemalpaşa Neighborhood. In its original construction it was built by Mimar Sinan. Having undergone many repairs throughout history; the mosque was completely demolished and rebuilt twice, and received the name "Fevziye" after it was rebuilt by Ottoman captain of the seas Ahmed Fevzi Pasha during the reign of Mahmud II. Most recently, after severe damage following the 17 August 1999 Gölcük earthquake, it was completely demolished and rebuilt.

History

In the 16th century, after the death of Mehmet Bey, the kethüda (headman) of Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha, the mosque commissioned from Mimar Sinan for his soul was originally named Mehmet Bey Mosque. This first mosque, of which no trace remains today, was built not as a single structure but together with a zawiya, guesthouse, temporary office, library, fountain, kenafs, ablution fountain and cemetery (hazire). These structures have not survived to the present.

According to its Turkish inscription, after its initial construction the mosque burned, collapsed and fell into ruin at various times. First, after the dome collapsed in the 1719 earthquake, the mosque was rebuilt on the same site with a tiled roof. It was damaged in a fire in 1756 and was rebuilt with the support of local resident Hacı Halil Ağa. After a fire in 1836 the building was again destroyed, and it was rebuilt by Captain of the Sea Ahmed Fevzi Pasha and thereafter took the name Fevziye Mosque.

Fevziye Mosque was severely damaged in the 1894 earthquake and was demolished by order of Abdul Hamid II, then rebuilt with walls of stone and brick; it was opened for worship in 1898.

Finally, after suffering severe damage in the August 17, 1999 Marmara earthquake and becoming unusable, it was completely demolished again to be rebuilt. In 2002 the foundation was laid again and it was opened for worship on January 30, 2004. The mosque is still in use today and is open to visitors. The Fevziye Mosque Park, covering a total area of ten thousand square meters next to it, has been arranged as a leisure facility with a lake resembling a natural stream, a water arch, a bridge, seating groups, walking paths and cafeterias.

Architectural features

The mosque sits on a plan measuring 24 × 21.19 m. It has a central dome and a rectangular plan. There is an enclosed last congregation area and access to the dome is provided by pendentives. It has a wooden and tiled broken roof. Fevziye Mosque, a stone‑heavy masonry structure in which brick is used as filler, has been rebuilt today with a reinforced concrete frame system.