Akşemseddin Sufi Lodge
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.
Prominent Features:
- 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.
