Hafsa Valide Sultan Tomb
About the Person:
- Born in Bahçesaray, Crimea, Ayşe Hafsa Sultan was the daughter of Mengli Giray, the Khan of Crimea. She gave birth to Şehzade Süleyman in 1494 in Trabzon. Upon her son’s accession to the throne, she moved into the Topkapı Palace with the title ‘Valide Sultan (Queen Mother)’.
- Renowned for her charitable works, Hafsa Sultan commissioned a grand külliye (complex) in Manisa, comprising a mosque, madrasa, darüşşifa (healing center), and bathhouse. To ensure a steady income for this complex, she endowed her properties in Manisa and Menteşe.
- The traditional ‘Mesir Macunu Festival’, still celebrated today, originated in this külliye named after her.
About the Person:
Construction Year: 1534
Ordered by: Kanuni Sultan Süleyman
Architect: Acem Ali (original construction), Mimar Sinan (restoration)
Prominent Features:
- The tomb was originally constructed with an octagonal plan and a blind dome.
- Its façade includes a portico supported by four columns with a flat architrave and a wide overhanging eave.
- The transition to the dome is facilitated by an octagonal drum.
- The tomb was completely destroyed during the 1894 earthquake. Reconstruction began shortly before the Second Constitutional Era, but it remained incomplete.
- In 2018, the tomb underwent comprehensive restoration and assumed its present form.
