Yavuz Selim Sufi Lodge

audio narration:

construction year:

1801-1805

location:

Üsküdar, İstanbul

ordered by:

Sultan Selim III

architect:

Unknown

Changes After Construction:
  • After 1823, the structure fell into ruin; during the reign of Mahmud II, it was revived in its present form between 1834 and 1836.
  • During the restoration carried out in 1835, a sheikh’s residence, dervish cells, and ancillary units were added to the lodge; these wooden sections disappeared over time.
  • After the closure of the dervish lodges in 1925, the harem, selamlık, dervish cells, and kitchen units lost their function and have not survived to the present day.
  • The imperial pavilion disappeared after the 1930s.
  • After the 1940s, the cemetery section and ablution basin of another lodge were moved into the courtyard.
Prominent Features:
  • It was also known by the names Küçük Selimiye Mosque, Çiçekçi Mosque, Çiçekçi Mosque Lodge, Behçeti Lodge, and Konevi Lodge.
  • The lodge program consists of the mosque-tevhidhane, the imperial pavilion attached to it, the cemetery section, and the library commissioned as a charitable foundation by Pertev Mehmed Said Pasha.
  • It functioned as a lodge affiliated with the Naqshbandi order; its ritual day was Thursday.
  • Its first postnişin was Şeyh Abdullah Efendi of Çankırı; he was followed by Şeyh Nimetullah Bukhari and Şeyh Ali Behcet Efendi of Konya as postnişins.
  • The lodge stands on the boundary between the Selimiye neighborhood and Karacaahmet Cemetery; on the surrounding wall, together with the main gate, there is an arrangement of many rectangular-window openings.