Gülbahar Hatun Tomb
About the Person:
- Gülbahar Hatun was the wife of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror and the mother of Sultan Bayezid II. She entered Mehmed’s harem in 1446 and gave birth to her son Bayezid in 1448 and later Gevherhan Sultan. She became the Valide Sultan upon her son’s accession to the throne. She died in 1492.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1492
Ordered by: Bayezid II
Architect: Architect Mehmet Ağa (built in 1767)
Prominent Features:
- The tomb has an octagonal plan and a single dome.
- Its dome is covered with lead and sits on an octagonal drum.
- It was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1766 and repaired after the Cibali fire of 1782.
- The inscription on the door and the marble inscriptions on the railings attract attention.
- The window arches on the exterior are decorated with colored stones; there are decorations in medallions.
- The interior is plain and the only hand-drawn decoration is seen on the dome.
- The floor is paved with hexagonal bricks.
- In the tomb are the coffins of Gülbahar Hatun, her daughter Gevherhan Sultan and two palace women whose identities are unknown.
- Gevherhan Sultan is the mother of Akkoyunlu Ruler Göde Ahmet.
- The tomb was restored and opened to visitors in 1997.
