Esekapı Mosque

Audio Narration

Construction Year:

The original structure is considered to be a small church built during the Byzantine period (probably in the first half of the 14th century).

Location:

Fatih, İstanbul

Ordered by:

Hadım İbrahim Pasha

Architects:

Unknown

- Changes after its construction
  • It was damaged in the great earthquake of 1509 and was later converted into a mosque by Hadım İbrahim Pasha around 1560.
  • It was damaged by several earthquakes throughout the 17th century, restored in 1648, and additional arrangements were made in 1741.
  • After the 1894 Istanbul earthquake, the building was largely damaged and abandoned.
  • It was occupied by homeless families between the 1930s and 1960s and was cleared during the expansion of the Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty Forensic Medicine Department. The last restoration work was carried out in 2015, and the building was made ready for worship in 2016.
- Prominent features
  • While the building bears elements of the original Byzantine church architecture, it gained a new order when it was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman period.
  • The complex included additional structures such as a madrasah and a classroom, and these elements reflected traces of classical Ottoman architecture.
  • Architectural details such as the dome, arcades, arches and column capitals are remarkable; original frescoes and plaster prints reflect the historical texture of the building.
  • The courtyard, madrasah and other additional building elements constitute the complementary elements of the building complex.