İskender Ağa Mosque

Audio Narration:

Construction Year:

16th century

Location:

Fatih, İstanbul

Ordered By:

İskender Agha the Chief Infantry

Architect:

Unknown

Changes After Construction:
  • It is recorded that the structure was built in the 16th century and that the date of its waqf deed is 1538.
  • It is stated that during the successive fires in Istanbul in the 17th century, the mosque burned and largely disappeared, and that for a long time only its plot remained.
  • The structure seen today was completely rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1963; for this reason, the present building is not the direct continuation of the original Ottoman-period structure, but a 20th-century reconstruction.
Prominent Features:
  • The present structure has a reinforced-concrete load-bearing system as a result of the 1963 reconstruction; a flat concrete ceiling arrangement stands out in the harim space.
  • The structure has a single-balconied minaret; it is stated that access to the minaret is arranged through a direct connection from the interior.
  • In the harim, there is a muezzin’s gallery and a gallery arrangement at the upper level; this composition reflects the layered use of interior space seen in small-scale neighborhood mosques.
  • The use of vegetal motifs in the upper windows creates selected ornamental accents within the plain composition of the interior.
  • The presence of graveyard information associated with the patron’s grave shows that the mosque carries not only a function of worship, but also a layer of remembrance/visitation.