Ayasofya Ottoman Primary School
Changes After Construction:
- Sultan Mahmud I wished to transform Hagia Sophia into a complex; together with the library, şadırvan, soup kitchen, and imaret, he commissioned the sıbyan mektebi (primary school) in 1740.
- As seen in Turgut Kut’s 1928 study on waqf (foundation) schools, the building was assigned for the use of the imam of Hagia Sophia Mosque.
- After Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum in 1934, it was used as the residence of the museum director.
- After Hagia Sophia regained mosque status in 2020, the sıbyan mektebi also began to be used together with the Hagia Sophia complex.
Prominent Features:
- The building is situated as a freestanding structure within the southwestern courtyard of Hagia Sophia.
- The building is two storeys high; it is built with regular courses of stone and brick.
- The upper floor has a square plan; it receives abundant light through three windows on each of its three façades.
- The classroom is covered with a dome; the transition to the dome is provided through an octagonal drum formed by corner triangles.
- There are examples of birdhouses on its façades.
- Sıbyan mektebs were institutions that functioned as primary schools in the Ottoman period and were mostly built together with mosques and masjids.
