Gülnuş Valide Sultan Tomb
About the Person:
- Gülnuş Sultan was born in the city of Rethymno in Crete in 1642. She was captured during Deli Hüseyin Paşa’s Crete Campaign and brought to the Ottoman palace. According to palace tradition, she was given the name “Gülnuş”.
- She became the Başkadın of Mehmet IV. She is the mother of Sultan Mustafa II and Sultan Ahmet III. She was sent to the Old Palace after Mehmet IV was dethroned.
- He returned to the palace when his son Mustafa II became the sultan. He maintained his influence during the reign of Ahmet III. He died in Edirne in 1715 and was brought to Istanbul and buried in his current tomb.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1713
Ordered by: Gülnuş Valide Sultan
Architect: Chief Architect Mehmet Ağa
Prominent Features:
- It is an open tomb with an octagonal plan, made entirely of marble.
- It is covered with a metal cage and the dome sits on eight columns.
- “Ayat al-Kursi” is written in thuluth calligraphy on the dome.
- The columns have stalactite capitals, and the arches have brass grids.
- The tombstones inside the tomb are decorated with reliefs and oyster shell motifs and are rare examples of Ottoman tombstone art.
- On footstone, there are reliefs of jonquils, roses, carnations and tulips coming out of a vase.
