Beşirağa Madrasa

Audio Narration:

Construction Year:

1734-1744

Location:

Eyüpsultan, İstanbul

Ordered By:

Hacı Beşir Agha

Architect:

Unknown

Changes After Construction:
  • The inscription of the structure gives the date Hijri 1147 / Gregorian 1734.
  • There is a dated inscription record for the madrasa giving Hijri 1157 / Gregorian 1744; therefore the construction date is evaluated within the range 1734–1744.
  • In a record dated 1915, the madrasa is noted as requiring repair and alterations.
  • An intervention that removed the mihrab in the masjid/classroom unit converted this section into a doorway function.
  • The restoration project study dated 2005 produced the survey, restitution, and restoration documents of the structure group and intervention proposals.
  •  The group of structures reached the recent period in a considerably ruined condition.
Prominent Features:
  • The structure is also known by the names Beşir Ağa Madrasa, Hacı Beşir Ağa Darülhadis, and Dar’ül-Hadis Madrasa Masjid.
  • The structure was dedicated to the teaching of the science of hadith with the function of a darülhadis and constitutes a waqf educational complex with madrasa, library, primary school, and fountain components.
  • The madrasa unit was built with a mixed technique of stone and brick.
  • During the period when the madrasa was active, it had twelve cells; two of these cells were added later.
  • The library within the madrasa was established under the waqf arrangement dated 1735, and its collection is preserved today in the Süleymaniye Library.