Changes After Construction
The Sufi Lodge functioned in the surroundings of the building complex into which the Pantokrator Monastery in Zeyrek was converted after the conquest; during the reign of Bayezid II, Sheikh Abdullah İlahi was engaged here in spiritual guidance.
Sheikhs from different tariqah circles, such as Sofyalı Sheikh Bâlî Efendi and Sheikh Zâkirzâde Abdullah-ı Biçare Efendi, served as Postnishin (post-holder) in this Sufi Lodge.
The 19th-century line of sheikhs beginning with Geredeli Semerci İbrahim Efendi continued until 1925.
The ancillary structures of the Sufi Lodge survived until the 1960s; during this period, they were demolished and gecekondu houses were built in their place.
The wooden harem building remained standing in a ruined condition until 2012.
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It is also known as Semerci İbrahim Efendi Sufi Lodge.
The building stands to the south of Molla Zeyrek Mosque, on the site that today survives as an empty plot.
On a late inscription hung on the wall, the date Hijri 855 (1451-1452 CE) appears together with the information that Sheikh Akşemseddin was present here.
The Sufi Lodge is regarded as a Zeyrek settlement associated with the early Bayrami circles in Istanbul.
