İmaret Mosque

The İmaret Mosque, also known locally as the Şemsi Ahmet Paşa Mosque, stands in central Bolu and, according to endowment records, was built in the 16th century by Şemsi Ahmet Paşa, a grandson of Kızıl Ahmed Bey of the İsfendiyaroğlu dynasty. The rectangular mosque's main walls were raised in an alternating pattern of four brick courses to one stone course, with the stone blocks framed by brick, a construction technique characteristic of the region's Ottoman masonry. Its two tiers of windows differ in style: the lower tier has rectangular frames with blind arches set in stone surrounds, while the upper tier uses pointed arches filled with plaster lattice screens. An entrance niche once centered on the north façade was later walled up. The mosque's decorated wooden ceiling dates from the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II. Repeated repairs over time have altered much of the building's original design, though it continues to serve as a place of worship.