İsmailağa Mosque

İsmailağa Mosque, located in the Fatih district of Istanbul, built by Ottoman Shaykh al-Islam Ebu Ishak Ismail Efendi. The mosque is the center of the İsmailağa Community.

History

In 1723 it was commissioned by Ottoman Shaykh al-Islam Ebu Ishak Ismail Efendi in the dimensions of the Kaaba. The darülhadis and madrasa surrounding the mosque were built by Ebu Ishak Ismail Efendi's son, Shaykh al-Islam Ebuishakzade Mehmed Esad Efendi.

In the 1894 Great Istanbul Earthquake the mosque suffered major damage and its minaret collapsed. With the closure of madrassas in the Republican period, the İsmailağa Mosque, which had a 200‑year‑old madrasa, was left neglected for many years and became a derelict building where horses were tied. The renovation and repair of the mosque were completed in 1952. Golds given by Abdul Hamid II as a gift to Ali Haydar Efendi were also used for this renovation. Mahmut Ustaosmanoğlu, who began serving as imam in 1954, continued in this role until 1997.

In the mosque's cemetery, besides the grave of Ebu Ishak Ismail Efendi who built the mosque, there are also the graves of his sons Ebuishakzade Ishak Efendi, Ebuishakzade Mehmed Esad Efendi, Şeyh Mehmed, Lütfullah and Mesud, as well as some other graves belonging to family members.