Özbekler Sufi Lodge
Changes After Construction:
- Some units of the Sufi Lodge have disappeared; what has survived to the present day are the tevhidhane, the Ottoman Primary School of Lâ‘lîzâde Abdülbâkî Efendi, the open-topped tomb, and the round-arched entrance gate built of cut stone.
- A Diyanet complex was later built on the area where the vanished units of the Sufi Lodge had stood.
- Today, the Eyüp Mufti’s Office building stands on the site of the broad area where the Sufi Lodge was located; the gate positions relating to the former entrance arrangement and the ruined existence of the Sheikh’s House attached to the Sufi Lodge were recorded.
Prominent Features:
- It is also known as Kalenderhane Sufi Lodge Masjid, Özbekler Sufi Lodge Masjid, and Lâ‘lîzâde Abdülbâkî Efendi Sufi Lodge.
- Lâ‘lîzâde Abdülbâkî Efendi had the Sufi Lodge built in 1743 for Kashgari Sheikh Abdullah Efendi.
- Within the Sufi Lodge were cells, a kitchen, the Sheikh’s Palace, a garden, and an Ottoman Primary School on the road.
- In 19th-century official records, the Uzbek Sufi lodges were listed as belonging to the Naqshbandi order.
- The Uzbek Sufi lodges were used in Istanbul as staging points and lodgings for dervishes of Central Asian origin; the kitchen and guest arrangement of the Sufi Lodge supported this identity.
