Vezir Mosque

Vezir Mosque, also known as Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha Vezir Mosque, is a mosque built in 1987 in the Sirkeci neighborhood of Fatih district, Istanbul.

The mosque that was built in 1831 with a pulpit on the site of a mosque constructed in the 17th century by Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha and destroyed in the 19th century collapsed completely in 1928 and was demolished; the present mosque was commissioned by the General Directorate of Foundations in the traditional architectural style in 1985-1987. It is located on the right side of the entrance to Sirkeci Station.

History

The history of the mosque dates back to the prayer house commissioned in the 17th century by Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha. The prayer house, known to have been built before 1678, was ruined in the fire of 1829; it was rebuilt in 1831 as a mosque with a pulpit. This mosque was damaged in the Hocapaşa fire of 1865 but remained standing; worship continued until 1928. Because it was destroyed, it was completely demolished after that date.

The site of the demolished mosque was leased by the General Directorate of Foundations as a tea house. Over time a stage was added to the tea house, which was used without a license as a pavilion called Anadolu Saz Evi until 1954. After that date it continued to be used with a license. In the 1980s, after local tradesmen appealed to the then Prime Minister Turgut Özal, the building was demolished in 1985 for reconstruction as a mosque.

In 1987 the present mosque was built with the traditional architectural approach of architect İbrahim Aydın Yüksel.

Architecture

The square-shaped single-domed mosque is separated from the street by a protective wall. It is reinforced concrete, faced with stone. It has a single-tiered minaret.

The mosque courtyard is entered through a street door. On the left of the courtyard there is a fountain. The last prayer area is covered by three domes. The mosque has a central dome supported by eight arches and ten angular columns.

The marble door of the altar is white and hazel pink; the same colour scheme has been used in the mosque's pulpit and mihrab. On it, a large calligraphic inscription in the form of a book contains a date calculated by abjad. The final part of verse 73 of Surah Zumar has been engraved on the inscription.

The interior of the mosque is tiled with tiles up to the upper row of the windows. The pulpit and the preaching platform are made of marble. Around the pulpit there is a marble balustrade that runs the full height.