Orhan Mosque

Orhan Mosque, a mosque built in the name of Orhan Gazi in the city centre of Adapazarı. The mosque, made of cut stone, has a rectangular plan.

Konuralp Bey, one of Orhan Gazi's commanders, conquered the small Byzantine forts in the region. It is said that a mosque was commissioned in the name of Orhan Gazi in the village that now forms the city centre. It is claimed that the present Orhan Mosque does not resemble the first mosque in terms of structure. The years 1316/1318 on the minaret indicate that the building was rebuilt during the reign of Abdulhamid II. The mosque of the destroyed old Ada village was renovated by the people under the leadership of the Adapazarı district governor Mehmet Nüzhet Pasha between 1893/1894.

Documents from the Ottoman archives show that the mosque of Beloyan Village, belonging to Sapanca, was endowed to a khatib. It is thought that the original form of the mosque resembled the Büyükesence Mosque, an example of early‑period architecture. The mentioned mosque used the “çanta” technique and a “beşikörtüsü” roof. When Orhan Mosque was renovated, the roof style was preserved.

The mosque, which has no dome, has a wooden roof covered with tiles. Its minaret, destroyed in the 1967 Mudurnu earthquake, was repaired, but after being damaged again in the 1999 Gölcük earthquake it was rebuilt according to the original profile.

Until recent times the mosque, surrounded by a concrete courtyard, had its walls removed and the surrounding area was landscaped. With the help of the people of Sakarya, an Orhan Mosque of Sakarya was built in Uganda.

There are many other mosques built in the name of Orhan Gazi around Sakarya: