Hallaç Mahmut Mosque

Hallaç Mahmut Mosque or Hallaç Mahmut Prayer Hall; it is a mosque located in the Ulus district of Ankara. This Ottoman Empire structure, built with a single dome and without minarets, was originally designed and used as a prayer hall. After a recent restoration and the addition of a wooden pulpit, it has now taken the form of a mosque.

History

Although two inscriptions are placed on the entrance door on the east side of the building, there is no definitive information about where the mosque got its name or when it was commissioned. According to the original stone inscription written in Arabic, it was commissioned between 1545-1546 by a person named "Ali son of Abdullah". Nevertheless, some sources claim that it was built at the end of the 1400s. Additionally, a book dated to 1530 that mentions its name among the prayer halls in Ankara also supports these claims. It was repaired in 1905 by Hacı Hakkı Efendi and another inscription was written directly on the building's wall in black paint. The mosque underwent maintenance again in the 1950s.

Architecture

Hallaç Mahmut Mosque, a typical example of Ottoman single‑dome mosques, has no minaret. It consists of a large lead‑covered dome placed on an octagonal plan. On the side façades there are two rectangular windows each, on the qibla wall there are two brick arches, and beside the entrance door there are two small windows as well. The entrance door is shaped with a marble arch.

Around the mihrab there is a single Shahada inscription and two decorative bands. The dome’s apex is adorned with pen‑work embroidery and calligraphic scripts. The surface of the wall containing the mihrab is covered with five large and twelve small tiles.

Mosque; because it is located in the city center, it has undergone expansion works at various times, especially because it could not meet demand during prayer times, and therefore its original plan has been altered. Over time, buildings have been constructed around it, so today only a façade is visible.