Şebsefa Hatun Mosque

Şebsefa Hatun Mosque

The Şebsefa Hatun Mosque, built in 1787, is situated in the Zeyrek neighborhood of the Eminönü District, as well as along Ataturk Boulevard. Its construction was commissioned by Şebsefa Hatun, a wife of Abdulhamid I (1725 -1789). She had it built in commemoration of her son. When it was brought together with the Sıbyan Mektebi (an Ottoman elementary-primary school), the mosque’s fountains were removed from their former sites during the road broadening works. It is evident that the building was clearly redesigned as a complex. The wall is composed solely of stone and brick, and the mosque has a Baroque architectural style. The ceiling of the Harim (sanctum sanctorum) is mainly composed of a dome standing on a tambour with 16 windows. The dome is supported by four smaller domes located at the corners of the structure. There are five marble columns in the last prayer section. The minaret with a sherefe (minaret balcony) located on the left side of the mosque is made of cut stone. Furthermore, the inscription on the portal gate reveals a poem written by the Şeyhulislam of that period, the fifth Yahya Tevfik. Şebsefa Hatun, the builder of the mosque, was buried in the graveyard of the Mosque. The mosque is now nestled below road level, after the completion of the later road construction.