Tabakhane Mosque

The Tabakhane Mosque sits at the foot of Ankara Castle on Ulus Kevgirli Street, close to the Bendderesi stream, and is thought to be roughly 600 years old. Its original name, Debbağhane Cami-i Şerîfi, means literally the Tanners' Mosque, recalling a historic leather-working quarter that once operated in this part of the old city below the citadel walls. The building, which is under the custodianship of Turkey's Directorate General of Foundations, suffered serious damage on 24 December 2012 when an electrical fault started a fire that destroyed its carved and painted wooden ceiling. A restoration lasting about six months followed, during which craftsmen recreated the lost wooden ornamentation, renewed the roof and eaves, and restored the mosque's chandelier, mihrab and minbar to their earlier appearance. The mosque remains an active place of worship in the historic Ulus district and is one of several Ottoman-era religious buildings clustered around the base of Ankara's ancient citadel.