Benlizade Ahmet Reşit Efendi Tomb
About the Person:
- Benlizade Ahmet Reşit Efendi was one of the scholars and statesmen of the Sultan Abdülhamid I period.
- He undertook important duties in the Ottoman scholarly class in the late 18th century and held high-ranking positions such as the Judge of Mecca and the Anatolian Kazasker.
- Known for his philanthropic identity, Reşit Efendi had various structures built in the field of education and foundation services.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1777
Ordered by: Benlizade Ahmet Reşit Efendi
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- Although the complex was originally known as Benlizade Madrasa, only the tomb and fountain structures have survived to the present day.
- The buildings were built in 1777, and its foundation remained in the Benlizade family until 1974; then it was transferred to the Directorate General of Foundations.
- The tomb was planned as a square-plan, single-storey, interconnected masonry complex with a baroque-influenced architecture, without a mosque, in accordance with the fashion of the period.
- The entrance is in the form of a corridor covered with a barrel vault. There is a small cemetery to the right of the entrance.
- There are elaborate hand-drawn decorations inside the tomb. Since the Oddish stone jambs on the fountain, tomb and facade walls were damaged over time, they were rebuilt with the same dimensions during restoration.
- Some windows on the south facade were closed with bricks.
- The extensive restoration work that started in 2020 was completed in 2022.
