Sitti Hatun Mosque

Sitti Hatun Mosque or Kamberler Mosque, a worship building constructed in 1459 in the Kamberler neighborhood in the center of Bursa.

It is located inside Kamberler Park, above the Panorama 1326 Bursa Conquest Museum, and below the Dayıoğlu Bath. It takes its name from the patron of the building, Sitti Hatun. It is one of the shield-walled mosques known specifically in Bursa. Immediately to the left of the mosque there is a primary school built together with the mosque, and a fountain in front of it.

History

The patron of the building, Sitti Nefise Hatun, was the daughter of the statesman and commander Oruç Bey, who was one of the sons of Kara Timurtaş Pasha, accepted as one of the first viziers of the Ottoman State; and she was the wife of the statesman Zağanos Pasha of the era of Mehmed the Conqueror. Because the mosque is located in the Kamberler neighborhood (the neighborhood's name was changed to "Ebu İshak" in 2007), it is also called "Kamberler Mosque".

It is written in the inscription above the mosque's entrance door, in thuluth script, that the building was commissioned by Sitti Hatun in 1459. Its minaret was rebuilt after the 1855 Bursa earthquake.

The mosque was restored in 1956 by the Bursa Society of Lovers of Old Works; it was repaired in 2008 by the General Directorate of Foundations. In 2012, as a result of urban transformation, the area was turned into a park and, together with another 15th‑century structure in the area, the Hatice Sultan Prayer Room, it underwent restoration.

Architectural features

It is one of the shield-walled mosques known specifically in Bursa. In this type of mosque, the façade features a front wall with three arches built at a height that exceeds the body walls. In Sitti Hatun Mosque, entry to the main prayer hall is provided through the central pointed‑arch opening. Below this opening there is a second segmented arch. The shield wall of the mosque has zigzag brick decorations.

A rectangular-plan mosque consists of the main worship space measuring 9 x 9 metres and a three-section rear congregation area. On the main worship area there is a lead‑covered dome sitting on a ribbed drum. Its walls are built with two rows of bricks and two rows of rubble stone. The minaret is at the north‑west corner of the main worship space; it has a short conical cap and a brick shaft.

Inscription

The mosque inscription contains the following text:

The construction of this blessed mosque was donated by Oruç Bey’s daughter, the merciful Sitti Hatun, by command. May Allah forgive both of them. Amen, O Lord. Later, so that it may be useful for Muslims, and on the condition that water not be drawn and water not be used, three hidden underground water channels were endowed with three barrels/cups. May Allah be the one who changes these conditions. Year H.864

School and fountain

The school (Kamberler Muallimhanesi) immediately east of the mosque is the only primary school remaining from the Fatih era. It was built together with the Sitti Hatun mosque. This work, which was the personal property of Imam Hafız Mehmed Özkurşuncu of Molla Feneri, was purchased in 1956 by the Bursa Society of Lovers of Old Works and transferred to the General Directorate of Foundations.

The mosque inscription mentions a kastel (water channel) in the structure. During the restoration carried out by the Bursa Society of Lovers of Old Works, three water channels were identified around the mosque. In 2008, during the Kamberler Park Environmental Arrangement works, a fountain built of bricks and stone, with the basin part made of stone, located in front of the mosque, was uncovered.