Ataullah Efendi Sufi Lodge

Audio Narration:

Construction Year:

1750-1775

Location:

Beykoz, İstanbul

Ordered By:

Seyyid Mehmed Ataullah Efendi

Architect:

Unknown

Changes After Construction:
  • The waqf deed of the Sufi Lodge was drawn up by the founder’s son-in-law and successor, Sheikh Ubeydullah Efendi of Amasya.
  • From 1868 onward, the Sufi Lodge passed to the Shabaniyya branch of the Khalwatiyya.
  • In 1905, when it was in a ruined condition, Mahmud Sırrı Pasha had the tevhidhane and tomb converted into masonry and had the Sufi Lodge revived.
  • After 1925, the function of the Sufi Lodge came to an end; the building remained abandoned and in time fell into ruin again.
  • In 1976, its tevhidhane was repaired by local residents for use as a mosque; in this process, additions such as a minaret and shadirvan were made, and the meşruta section disappeared.
Prominent Features:
  • The Sufi Lodge was also recorded under the names Mehmed Atâullah Efendi Sufi Lodge, Şeyh Atâ Efendi Sufi Lodge, Ubeydullah Efendi Sufi Lodge, and Ahmed Lütfi Efendi Sufi Lodge.
  • In historical records, the Sufi Lodge is located on the old mountain road route leading from Kanlıca to Kavacık and Göztepe.
  • The tevhidhane, tomb, and harem-selamlık sections are aligned as a single mass along Mihrâbad Avenue; the mass of the building is described with rubble-stone walls reinforced by brick bands and wooden roofs covered with tiles.
  • The tevhidhane has an octagonal plan; it is defined by a simple semi-circular mihrab and round-arched windows; door and window openings connect the tevhidhane to the tomb.
  • The projection on the upper floor of the harem-selamlık is associated with brick piers and two cast columns in the art nouveau style; this detail is a distinctive element that makes the stylistic diversity of the period visible in Sufi Lodge structures.
  • It is stated that the graveyard contains gravestones that are important in terms of late Ottoman grave design.