Ekmekçi Ahmed Paşa Tomb
About the Person:
- Originally from Edirne, Ekmekçizade Ahmed Paşa was the son of a wealthy sipahi. He rose in the Ottoman treasury, becoming chief treasurer (Chief Defterdar, Minister of Finance) in 1596, and served as the Beylerbey of Rumelia in 1607 and then the Governor of Aleppo during the reign of Ahmed I (1603–1617).
- He had various charitable works built during his time in state service; he was buried in the tomb in the social complex he had built while he was alive, after his death in 1618.
- His funeral prayer was led by Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi, one of the great Sufis of the period. Before his death, he donated a portion of his wealth to the repair of Ozi Castle and the construction of the castle in Kılburun.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1606 – 1618
Ordered by: Ekmekçizade Ahmed Paşa
Architect: Sedefkar Mehmed Ağa
Prominent Features:
- The tomb has a square plan and was built with smooth cut stones.
- It is covered with a single dome sitting on an octagonal drum.
- The windows are arranged in two rows; the lower windows have rectangular sills and iron bars, while the upper ones have plaster grids enclosed within a pointed arch.
- The interior is decorated with hand-drawn works with rumi motifs in oval and semicircular cartridges.
- There is a fountain of high artistic value right in front of the tomb; its bronze network and decorations are remarkable.
- In the cemetery surrounding the tomb are the graves of Ahmed Paşa’s descendants.
- It is one of the qualified examples of classical Ottoman social complex architecture, together with the tomb, madrasah and fountain.
