Small mosques, mosque complexes (Külliye) and masjids

 The mosque was not only a place of worship for the Turks. While monumental mosques surrounded by a complex of buildings were built by members of the royal family, every district was adorned with a mosque which had been built by a vizier or couıtier and for which a foundation had been set up. These small mosques, too, were surrounded by charitable buildings, and not only did they bring prosperity to the distriçts in which they were located they also became minor centres of culture. Hafız Hüseyin  Efendi of Ayvansaray, who wrote a book entitled ",Hadikatü'1 cevâmi" at the end of the l8th century, stated that there were about 450 mosques in the area inside the city walls and provided a short history of each mosque within the limits of his capabilities. If we add the mosques in Eyüp, Galata and Üsküdar, and those along the Bosphorus, the number reaches 877. In the map of Istanbul's mosques, which was drawn up in the Mühendishane in 1848 and published as a lithograph, the streets that existed at that time are shown, as are the positions of the 450 or sa mosque and masjids inside the city walls. Of these mosques and masjids, whose names alone would occupy a large number of pages, only those which are of architectural and artistic value will be briefly mentioned here.

It is known that as early as the Byzantine area permission had been given for the building of a small place of worship for Muslim traders visiting the city. However, this mosque or masjid was not a permanent feature. It was sometimes demolished or rebuilt in accordance with political fluctuations. Although the Turks had a small mosque in Istanbul during the reign of Bayezıt I (1389-1402) it is assumed that it did not survive until the conquest. After the conquest, however; this  place  of  worship, which was of historical significance, was  zealously  preserved. The statement that the Arap (Arab) Mosque in Galata was founded by the Muslim army under Mesleme when they were beseiging the Byzantine city originates in a folk tale invented in later years and there is no truth in it. Thus, the site of Istanbul's oldest mosque is not known.

The oldest of the mosques that were beginning to be built by important persons after the conquest is the Sadrazam Mahmud Paşa Mosque, built in 1463. This mosque, which was repaired in  1755 and 1827, is an example of the type of mosque with a dervish dormitory, one that was widespread during the early Ottoman period both in Anatolia and Rumelia. The Mahmud Paşa Mosque was situated in the middle of a small 'külliye'. In the small graveyard in its precinct is the incomparably beautiful tomb , covered completely with enamelled tiles, of  Mahmut Paşa, who was executed in 1474. Only this, and the classroom wing of the madrasa remain on the left. There used to be a row of shops, which no longer exists, and only half of its public bath has survived to this day. There was also a commercial building known as Kürkçühanı (the Furriers' Building). In architectural terms there is another, very similar mosque in Aksaray, built in  1471 by the then  grand vizier,  Has Murad  Paşa  who was  also beylerbeyi (govemor of a province) of Rumelia.This too, has a dervish dormitory. In later years the walls between the sections were removed and the space was added to the central area for worship. This, too was the centre of a small 'külliye'. The madrasa was demolished in 1938 and the adjoining double baths were pulled down in 1956. The large graveyard within the mosque precinct, the trees in the graveyard and the impressive outer entrance all add to the beauty of this mosque.

The Davud Paşa Mosque, built by the then Grand Vizier of the same name in 1485, is a short distance from the Cerrahpaşa Hospital. The central area is covered by a single dome and there are dervish dormitories on either side. Although extremely valuable calligraphy and decorations dating from the l5th century were encountered in the course of the most recent repairs, sufficient effort was not made to preserve them. This mosque, too, lay in the middle of a complex of buildings. Apart from the tomb of the founder there was a soup kitchen and hospice, and a madrasa. Only the second of these is still in existence. The mosque that was built in Üsküdar on high ground overlooking the sea in 1471 by grand vizier Rum Mehmed Paşa is brick-built and it a further example of a mosque with a dervish dormitory. Here, however, there a dome and a semi-dome over the area for prayer. The shape of the drum of its dome and certain other structural components point to a Byzantine influence that stem from the fact that the person who had it built was a Byzantine who had been converted to lslam. The tomb of the founder is on the outside öf the wall containing the altar niche. The madrasa and public bath of the complex surrounding the mosque were demolsihed many years ago; however, the ruins of certain buildings belonging to the same 'külliye can be seen in the immediate area. The Candanlı lbrahim Paşa Mosque was built in the (lzubçarşı district in 1479. This old mosque, which is made of soft suıface rock, was a ruin consisting only of four walls for many years, but it was recently rebuilt and restored. Although the Firuz Ağa Mosque in the corner of Sultanahmet Square, which;according to the inscription by the great calligrapher Sheikh Hamdullah, was built in 1491, is basically square in shape with a dome covering the central area, the nearby Atik Ali Paşa Mosque in Çemberlitaş, built in 1496, is of an entirely different architectural plan. The sections over the area for prayer, which is roofed by a dome and semi-dome, were not dervish dormitories as is sometimes thought, they are part and parcel of the main body of the building. In this respect, this little mosque is a small-scale copy of the first Fatih Mosque destroyed in the eaıthquake of 1766. The front of the madrasa on the other side of the street was removed for road widening. The famous Elçihane, which stood next to the madrasa, was used as accommodation for visiting foreign ambassadors in the l6th century and has been much described. in books of travels. It was demolished, leaving no trace, some time after .1865 and the site is now occupied by an office block. In front of the mosque there is an open tomb which is empty  and a large graveyard around it; another outbuilding which lay between the mosque and Çemberlitaş no longer exists. Another mosque built by the same Atik Ali Paşa is the Zincirlikuyu Mosque to one side of the Edirnekapısı road. It has six domes of equal size and is rectangular in shape. It is a small example of the multi-domed Ulucami, or Great Mosque, of an earlier period.

From the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent onwards Istanbul was adorned with mosques, both big and small, of  Sinan and other architects who had followed in his footsteps. Care was taken to apply different architectural styles and their walls were covered with enamelled wall tiles from the lznik works, which had reached its apogee in the l6th century. The İskender Paşa Mosque in Fatih built in about 1505, the Bali Paşa Mosque in the same district, (which, in spite of a number of erroneous estimates of its construction date), is now known to be the work of Sinan, and the Cezerî Kasım Paşa Mosque in Eyüp, the construction date of which is not certain but is known to be some time in the l6th century are all buildings with a square central area for prayer covered by a single dome; in spite of this, however, Sinan embellished almoşt every corner of the city with many mosques in different styles. While the Haseki Hürrem Sultan Mosque (1538/39), Sinan’s first work, is a simple structure with a single dome, a domed annexe was built by its trustee, Hasan Bey in 1612 and a mosque unique in Turkish architecture emerged. The Hadım  İbrahim  Paşa Mosque in Silivrikapısı, completed in  1551,  is  the  first  of Sinan's more elaborate medium-sized mosques. This was followed by the Kara Ahmed Paşa Mosque in Topkapı, which, judging by the fact.that its founder was executed in 1555, must have built at around the same date and was the centre of a large külliye . The new plan applied was a bold step forward which resulted in a striking work. The Sinan Paşa Mosque at Beşiktaş, built at about the same time, the Rustem Paşa Mosque at Eminönü (circa 1560), which is one of the great works of Turkish art because of the magnificent enamelled tiles that adorn its interior and even a part of the external wall  of  the  exhedra,  the  Molla  Çelebi Mosque (1561) at  Fındıklı  the  Sokollu  Mehmed  Paşa  Mosque (1571-1572) on the seaward side of the Sultanahmet district, the other Sokollu Mehmed Paşa Mosque at Azapkapısı ( 1577-78), the Piyale Paşa Mosque on the inner side of the Kasımpaşa Creek, now by the side of the new boulevard, built in 1573-74, the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque at.Tophane (1580-81) the Zal Mahmut Paşa Mosque at Eyüp (1580), the Şemsi Ahmed Paşa Mosque on the seafront at (lsküdar ( 1580-81 ), which, in spite of its simplicity, is like an elegant ornament are all important mosques that are the fruit of Turkish architecture in the l6th century. Of these works we see for the first time facades enriched by collonaded galleries in mosques of the archaic earlier type which have a number of domes; in the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque Sinan reproduced the plan of Ayasofia on a much smaller scale,  although  it was one of his last works. In the Sinan Paşa Mosque  he  produced  a work resembling the Üçşerefeli Mosque in Edirne. The Zal Mahmut Paşa Mosque, on the other hand, is square with a  single dome, marking a new aesthetic approach as far aş the exterior is concerned. In the other mosques, however, he has applied an architectural approach based on a hexagonal or octagonal support system for the dome, although the details differ in each case. This system was first tested in the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, one of the great works of Turkish art. Although the Kazasker İvaz Efendi Mosque, which surmounts the city wall in the Eğrikapı district and is thought to have been built circa 1585 is not considered to be one of Sinan's works, the verandahs surrounding it (no longer in existence), the facade on the entrance side resembling a wall with window apertures and the four double doors could only be the fruit of Sinan’s genius.

The above-mentioned mosques are so interesting in terms of their architecture and decoration that it is not possible to provide a detailed commentary in the space available. Many of these mosques do not stand alone but represent the centre of a small-scale 'külliye', or complex of charitable buildings.

The master craftsmen of the Turkish classical period who kept the traditions of Sinan alive produced mosques and small charity complexes of the same style in Istanbul. Although the number of these works decreased somewhat in the l7th century,  a certain number of them were still built. The Çinili Mosque in Üsküdar, built for Mahpeyker Kösem Sultan in 1640  is, as its name implies (note: 'çinili' means 'with enamelled tiles'), famous for the tiles which cover its walls, although the scale of the mosque itself is modest. The mosque built by grand vizier Cerrah Mehmet Paşa in 1593 is similar to the type created by Sinan. A mosque built by grand vizier Mesih Mehmet Paşa in the Fatih district in 1586 is remarkable for its enamelled tiles and embellished marble and, in terms of its proportions, is a bold statement and a great work. The Mehmet Ağa Mosque in the Çarşamba district, which also has beautiful tiles, is known to have been built in 1585 by the architect. Davud Ağa. The Nişancı Mehmet Paşa Mosque (1589) was also the work of the same architect.

It can be observed that the classrooms of some of the madrasas built near main roads in l7th century Istanbul were intended to fulfil thefunctions of a mosque. This approach was applied in Sinan's Sultan Selim Madrasa (1562); this work stands in what was formerly the Yenibahçe district, now Vatan Avenue and has, because of ignorant town planning been half buried in earth. The same approach can be seen in the Köprülu Madrasa opposite Çemberlitaş (1661); the Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Paşa Madrasa in nearby  Çarşıkapı (completed in 1690) and the Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa Madrâsa (1700) in the Saraçhanebası neighbourhood of Fatih. In example of a work of this kind, which combines mosque, madrasa and even library is the Nevşehirli İbrahim. Paşa 'külliye', built by the then grand vizier; it is enriched with a public fountain, charity fountain, a graveyard within the precincts and even a bazaar, and is located in the Şehzadebaşı district of the city. The mosque in this complex, built in 1720 in the Tulip Period, when the principles of classical Turkish architecture were still adhered to, is a small and simple building with the symmetry of the library in its general composition. The madrasa, which was a ‘darülhadis’, or seminary in which the religious tradition of the Prophet was taught, surrounded these two charitable buildings and two rows of shops were built on the outside, although only one row now remains. Originally there was a colonnade in front of these shops which led to Direklerarası Square. The same tradition was pursued in the Seyyit Hasan Paşa Madrasa Mosque (1745), which lies next to the Faculty of Arts. lt stands on an elevated basement and the section adjacent to the street is in the foım of a domed mosque. In the  same  year Hacı Beşir Ağa, the person in charge of the Harem,had a charity complex consisting of a dervish convent, boys’ school, public and charity fountain and madrasa built in the Sirkeci district in 1745. This complex was Baroque in style and it can be seen that here, too, the mosque and the madrasa have been combined.

The biggest mosque complex to be built in Istanbul in the l8th century was that of the then grand vizier, Hekimoğlu Ali  Paşa (1732-1734),in the Altımermer district.  It resembles the royal mosques in terms of its dimensions and impressiveness. The dome support system is hexagonal, and in this respect it resembles the Cerrahpaşa Mosque In the interior decoration of this mosque, which is the last important example of the survival of classical Turkish art in the  details,  enamelled  tiles produced in the tile workshop of the Tekfur Palace (founded in 1724) were used. However, these tiles cannot be compared with the ones produced in the lznik workshop in the l6th century as far as colour, design and technique are concerned. Inside the complex, which is surrounded by a large courtyard, is the tomb of its founder (d. 1758) and public fountains; by the side of the courtyard gate there is a charity fountain and, above the gallery of its second gate there is a library, which is extremely successful in terms of architectural inventiveness.

lt is a notable fact that no other architectural project of any significance was realised in Istanbul in the l8th century. The mosque at the bottom of Alemdar Hill, built in the name of Zeynep Sultan, daughter of Ahmed III, in 1769 is a mixture of brick and stone;  it is the  most  important  of  the Western-inspired works of that period. A mosque standing at the side of Atatürk Boulevard, built by Fatma Şebsafa Kadın, one of the favourites of Abdülhamid I, in 1789, was in  fact  built  in the memory of Crown Prince Mehmed. This single-domed  mosque  in fact stood extremely high from the ground but due to the fact that the level of the surrounding ground was raised during the construction of Atatürk Boulevard, the shops in its basement are now below ground level. The courtyard gate and the fountains on either side were subsequently removed and reinstated on the upper storey. An interesting feature of this mosque, which is Baroque in terms of its style and proportions, is the covered area above the exhedra.

 In the l9th century, when styles originating in  the  West were predominant in architecture, mosques were built, mainly by the Balian family of architects, which had no relationship whatsoever with classical Turkish art. Some of them were built to replace older mosques and others were entirely new. In the Çırağan, or Küçük Mecidiye Mosque, built for Sultan Abdülmecid in  1843 by Nikogos Balian (1826-1858) by the entrance to Yıldız Park, we see a square plan covered by a single dome with a royal pavilion over the exhedra. The style of the gallery on its minaret is very different; it is covered, with slender columns,and rests on neo-gothic arches. The same style can again be observed in the mosque of the Çağlayan Summerhouse, which stands on the site of the old Sâdâbâd Palace at Kâğıthane. The architect in this  case was Sarkis Balian (1835-1899). This eclectic style  led to  a number of mosques that were very different in style being built in the second half of the l9th century. The Teşvikiye Mosque in the Maçka district, built in the reign  of Abdülmecid (1854-1865), underwent certain alterations in 1892; it is a building inspired by ancient art embodying acroteria taken from the art of the Early Ages. The last examples of this eclectic style are the Asariye Mosque in Beşiktas and the Cihangir Mosque on the high ground above Fındıklı.

Other examples of this mixed style are  the  Bab-ı  âli  Mosque, achieved by renewing a small, older mosque (formerly the Nallı Masjid) on the corner near the Governor's Office (1866), the Ali Paşa Mosque (formerly the Ağa Mosque), built in 1867-68 next to the Ali Paşa mansion at the top of Mercan Hill, the Fuad Paşa Mosque (formerly the Uzun Şüça Mosque), built on octagonal lines circa 1850 in Sultanahmet, the Hidâyet Mosque at Bahçekapı in the Sirkeci district, renewed by Abdülhamid II in 1887-88. The Karaköy Mosque , built in 1903 at the head of the bridge in Karaköy by the Italian architect Raimondo D'Aronco (1857-1932) reflected to some extent the Art Nouveau  style  that was fashionable in the West  at  that  time.  The  exterior  of  the building was original in apyearance, particularly as far as its dome and minaret were concerned and its facades were entirely faced with marble. Unfortunately it was dismantled in 1958 with the intention of moving it to Kınalı Island, but was destroyed in the process.

The number of small, local mosques that were built by wealthy merchants and shopkeepers in almost every part of the city and had foundations set up for them is by no means small. Many were damaged by the fires that swept through large parts of the  city and subsequently renewed in  a  different  architectural  style. Others have been demolished to make way for “developments”. While in recent years some of these ruined masjids were rebuilt and restored to their original appearance others were rebuilt in entirely different and unfortunately extremely ugly styles. Almost all of these small places of worship were endowed with pulpits by charitable persons in later years and turned into mosques. A few examples of these small mosques or local masjids which have retained their value in terms of architecture or interior decoration have managed to survive to this day.

The Timurtaş Masjid in the Tahtakale district, which dates from the time of Mehmet the Conqueror, is notable for the minaret in the form of a balcony rising from one corner of its brick and stone walls. A similar example can be seen in the l8th century Beşir Ağa Masjid , which is within the grounds of the Topkapı Palace. The brick and stone used in the walls of the Samanveren Masjid in Uzunçarşı endow it with a graceful and pleasing appearance;it is one of the most beautiful masjids to be built in the l5th century and its minaret, the brickwork of which is rather original, has a gallery. The building and minaret of the Molla Hüsrev Masjid in the Vefa district are archaic in style.lt should be noted that care was taken to vary the style of the minarets of these small masjids so that they  could  be easily distinguished. Thus, in the Hacı Hasanzade Masjid, built by Mehmed Efendi, Chief Military Judge of Rumelia,at the beginning of the l6th century, we encounter an ornamentation on the minaret resembling the flat-weave carpet motifs employed by the Turks ever since they inhabited Central Asia, which was achieved by the skilful use of brick and stone. Emin Nureddin Osman Efendi, the Cadi (Muslim judge) of Egypt, who died in Şehzadebaşı in 1554, built the Burmalı Masjid; this small, square building is made of brick and stone and the roof is a timber one with tiles. Although it is a modest masjid, the body of the minaret features spiral brickwork like that of the mosques in Edirne and Amasya. The Hacı Evhad Mosque (1585) at Yedikule is one of Sinan's smaller works. It is rectangular in shape and formerly had a timber roof. It is obvious that at one time the walls of this small mosque were covered with enamelled tiles; its minaret is large in proportion to the building itself. All of these tiles have been stolen because the building remained in a semi-ruined state for many years. If it is borne in mind that mosques of this type had domes set in the ceiling that were not visible from the outside, and that these domes were richly embellished with painted designs and gold leaf, it can assumed that this mosque too, possessed an inset dome of this type. The Hüsrev Çelebi or Bezirgân Masjid, built by Sinan in the Altımermer district, was one of, or perhaps the great architect's very last work. It was built in 1586. The exterior of this masjid is simple and unassuming but its interior walls are covered from floor to ceiling with the finest l6th century tiles. The ornateness  of  its  walls  would appear to point to the fact that it once had a richly-embellished inset dome of the type described above, but that this was probably destroyed in one of the many fires that swept through the neighbourhood. Another important work of this kind is the Takkeci (Arakiyeci) Ibrahim Efendi Masjid which stands outside the city walls at Topkapı. This small and unassuming place of worhsip, which was built in 1591 or 1592, has a simple wooden roof. However, its interior walls are covered with the most exquisite lznik enamelled tiles and the richness and variety of the flower and plant motifs to be encountered are indeed  astonishing.  Here the  inset dome  survives  and the ornamentation on the marble pulpit and on the woodwork endows what appears from the outside to be a very small and simple mosque with the importance of a great  work of Turkish art. The Silâhi (or Sürahi?) Mehmed Bey Masjid, which stands next to the zal Mahmud Paşa Mosque at Eyüp (this was, in all probability, built by Sinan), could be considered an exquisite example of l6th century masjid architecture. This very small, square masjid is covered by a wooden roof; the skilful layout of the  courtyard, which contains a tomb, and the minaret next to the courtyard gate are old features that deserve attention. Coloured bands of brick and stone have been used in the construction of the mosque and the minaret, which is octagonal in form and has no gallery. A similar minaret, although it is not particularly graceful, can be seen on the  Semiz Ali Paşa Masjid at Eyüp.

In the l6th and l7th centuries some masjids were combined with a street-corner fountain. These fountains were surmounted by a minaret consisting only of a gallery. When Sinan built the Mihrimah Mosque at Edirnekapısı the water issuing from its foundation pit was piped to the Attar Halil Ağa (or Yenibahçe) Masjid, which once stood on the site of the present Vatan Avenue. It discharged through a fountain with two facades made by a Christian craftsman who was Sinan's assistant. The fountain was surmounted by a minaret gallery. A similar type of fountain could be seen in the Özsüzce Masjid at Yenibahçe, which is a masjid and minaret combined, and in the Gürcü Mehmed Paşa Fountain (1625). Both of these masjids were demolished during the construction of Vatan Avenue. Although the square plan of the masjid built by Sinan in his own name close to the same district was sinple in the extreme,it had a minaret the like of which  is to be seen nowhere else in Ottoman architecture; the minaret was octagonal in shape and had no gallery.  The  ezan or call fo prayer, was sung through a small aparture. This important masjid was destroyed by fire in 1918 and only its foundations and minaret remained. It was, however, rebuilt in the 1970's. lt is indeed a great pity that no information is available about the interior decoration of this masjid, built by Sinan who created so many works of Ottoman art, in his own name and as the beneficiary of his foundation. A masjid that is very different as far as its plan is concerned is the Tulumcu Hüsam Masjid, built in 1630. The minaret surmounted a heautiful pointed entrance arch right in the middle of its facade. This masjid, which was pulled down and its stones sold in 1945, was rebuilt between 1985 and 1988. However,  because an outbuilding resembling a modern two-storey house was built in front of it this interesting feature of the facade and minaret cannot be seen.

Several examples of the small mosques built in the late Ottoman period are the Derviş Ali Madrasa at Karagümrük, which although the Baroque profiles of the windows in its chimney-shaped minaret point to the fact that it was built in the l8th century, may have earlier origins; the Adilşah Kadın Madrasa at Edirnekapısı, built in 1805 (this was in ruins but was rebuilt and restored to its former state in 1977) and the Hacı Küçük Masjid in the Sultanhamamı district. Although the latter is umimportant as far as its building is concerned, it has a minaret gallery with gothic arches similar to the ones encountered in the Çırağan Mecidiye and Çağlayan Mosque in the Kağıthane valley, both of which were built by the Balian family. While the Central Post Office was being built on the site of an old masjid, the latter known as the Hobyar Masjid, was completely rebuilt in accordance with the  project  of  the architect, in 1910-11. It is an experimental work of the Turkish neo-classical period, which had begun at that time. The octagonal stone walls of the masjid have Kütahya tiles on their exterior and the minaret gallery is surmounted by a peculiar overhanging structure the like of which can be encountered nowhere else in Turkish art. Areas for public prayer were set up in picnic places inside the city itself and on its outskirts, and by the sides of main roads and foundations were established for their upkeep. Uğur Derman has established the names of about  130 of these small historic works in and around İstanbul; however, almost all of them have disappeared. They all had a carved altar stone facing the direction of Mecca and a wall to denote their boundaries. A few trees provided shade for these simple places of worship and there was generally a fountain and sometimes a well nearby. One of the small number of these areas for public prayer was that set up by Ömer Efendi, Clerk of Works to the Navy, In 1772 behind what is now the Fenerbahçe Stadium in Kadıköy. There used to be such an area on this site, reached by two steps from the road. It consisted of a level place surrounded by a stone wall, a fine altar stone, a marble well head and a drinking fountain with marble troughs on either side where animals could be watered. The fountain had a baroque-style marble plaque bearing an inscrip-tion and the latter was in the form of a column. Next to this area for prayer, to which shade was afforded by three or four old trees and which had been envisaged as a mosque, were the graves of Ömer Efendi and his family, enclosed by a stout wall with iron railings on the top. Unfortunately this irreplaceable work has been demolished and the trees cut down. Another such open space for prayer is the Hisar Namazgâhı near Anadolu Hisar, which dates from the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror. This, however, has been restored in recent years. As it contains an altar niche and a pulpit, it must have been envisaged as an open air mosque. A larger example of this type of monument was the Atıcılar Namazgâhı, or Archers' Prayer Place at Okmeydanı. In this place, which was the centre of Turkish archery and had had a foundation set up for it by Mehmet the Conqueror, there was an area of this nature reached by a flight of ten steps and it had a pulpit made partially of marble. Unfortunately this historic monument, which is of great value, has been badly damaged in recent years by the inhabitants of the shanty houses that have sprung up in the vicinity. On the back of a fountain carved from a solid piece of stone in the shape of an obelisque  (also endowed by lshak Ağa Director of  Customs who had the magnificent fountain at Beykoz built), we see a relief depicting an altar, which would indicate that this grassy open space must have been envisaged as an area for public prayer. Another such place is the one set up at the same time as the Mihrişah Valide Sultan fountain next to the Küçüksu Summerhouse in 1806. We can see from old engravings that there was an altar stone on either side of the fountain. On the side of the Karacaahmed Cemetery where the İbrahim Ağa Mosque lies was the Saraçlar Çeşmesi Prayer Place, built by Ahmed Ağa, Head of the Sadlers' Guild, in 1774. This was done away with in the late 1950's to make way for a new road. One of the oldest of these open air places for prayer on the old Bağdad Road, which was the road taken by armies and caravans going eastwards, was the Ayrılık Çeşmesi Namazgâhı, set up by Gazanfer Ağa, Chief of the Harem, at the end of the l6th century. Today only the fountain survives. The same applies to the area at Bostancı known as Çatalçeşme, which was also set up in the  l6th century. The majestic plane tree on the other side of the road was cut down some time around 1990.

The fountain  bearing an inscription dated 1831 which includes the name of Sultan Mahmud II, the altar stone and the tree which go to make up the area for public worship known as Bostancıbaşı derbendi namazgâhı and adorn the head of the historic bridge, have been moved a number of times and have now been erected in a rather random fashion at the foot of the tree can be considered to have been saved. Another such important area for prayer can be encountered is the one known as the Kavak Sarayı Namazgâhı, which lies by the side of the road leading down to the Harem Quay from the Selimiye Barracks. This small work was erected by Musahip Ali Ağa in 1654 and subsequently repaired in 1845 by Şeminûr Kadın; it bears all the features of the Turkish classical period. It is one of the oldest and rarest examples of the architecture of these open-air prayer areas to survive to this day. In 1974 it was removed from its site and again erected a short distance away, thus being saved from destruction. The rear facade of the fountain by the side of the Alemdağı road in the outlying Dudullu district has an altar niche carved on it and a verse from the Koran is inscribed on it as well, emphasising that this is an area for worship. The origins of the fountain are older, but it was renewed by Hafız Abdülkerim Ağa in 1730 and again restored in 1886-87 by Adile Sultan, one of the daughters of Mahmud II.

The most interesting site of this nature in lstanbul, which is at the same time the most valuable in architectural terms, was mentioned previously in the section about fountains. It lies in the Kadırgalimanı district of the city and was built by Esma Sultan, wife of Muhsinzâde Mehmed Paşa and daughter of Ahmed III in 1779. This public square fountain has two facades and a flight of steps leading up to the area for worship on top of its cistern, and is the only one of its kind. One of the last of these open-air areas for worship to be built in lstanbul is the one behind the Valide Bezmiâlem Sultan Fountain in the Maçka district, erected in 1839. In spite of the fact that these small monuments all belong to foundations and should therefore not be private property, it is indeed regrettable that in recent years they have been demolished with great rapidity to make way for filling stations, car showrooms and blocks of flats.

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