Sultan III. Mustafa ve III. Selim Tomb

III. Mustafa

Birth/Death: 1717 – 1774
Title: 26th Ottoman Sultan
About: Sultan III. Mustafa was the son of Sultan Ahmed III. After years of confinement, he ascended the throne in 1757. He collaborated with Grand Vizier Koca Ragıp Paşa on reform initiatives, focusing on fiscal austerity and anti-corruption efforts. He had the French Baron de Tott establish a rapid artillery corps and spearheaded the construction of a new navy and military academy. His reign was marked by the 1768–1774 Ottoman-Russian War, during which he died. He was buried in the türbe of the Laleli Complex he commissioned.

III. Selim

Birth/Death: 1761 –1808
Title: 28th Ottoman Sultan
About: Sultan Selim III, son of Sultan Mustafa III, ascended the throne in 1789. He initiated a comprehensive military and administrative reform program known as Nizâm-ı Cedîd, established new European-style military units, turned foreign embassies into permanent missions, and opened the Mühendishâne-i Berrî-i Hümâyun to train modern officers. He created the “îrâd-ı cedîd” treasury and tried to control internal and external debt. After defending Acre against Napoleon, he concluded conflicts with Austria and Russia. Faced with Janissary and clerical opposition, he was deposed during the Kabakçı Mustafa Revolt in 1807 and killed during a palace coup despite efforts by Alemdar Mustafa Paşa. He was buried next to his father in the same türbe. He is remembered as a pioneer of Ottoman modernization and a contributor to classical music.

Construction Year: 1774

Ordered by: Sultan III. Mustafa

Architect: Mehmed Tahir Ağa

Prominent Features:

The türbe is located in the southwest of the Laleli Complex, between the mosque and the han structure.
Clad in marble, the decagonal and single-domed structure reflects Baroque-influenced Ottoman architecture, marking the second sultan’s türbe with Western influences (the first being the Nuruosmaniye Tomb).
The entrance features a three-bay portico. At the main gate and courtyard entrance, verses from Surahs al-Fajr, al-‘Ankabūt, and al-Hashr, written in thuluth script by Mehmet Vasfi Efendi, are inscribed. Inside, 16th-century İznik tiles in coral red, blue, and white decorate the spaces between windows. Verses from Surahs al-Zumar and al-Saffat are inscribed on tiled friezes encircling the walls.
The southern façade features three flat-arched windows with carved marble floral and foliage motifs in the corners.
The sarcophagi of Sultan Mustafa III and his son Sultan Selim III are enclosed with wooden railings inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

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Sultan II. Mahmud Tomb

Sultan III. Mustafa ve III. Selim Tomb

III. Mustafa

III. Selim

Fatih, İstanbul

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