Hindiler Sufi Lodge
audio narration:
construction year:
15th century
location:
Fatih, İstanbul
Ordered By:
Mehmed the Conqueror
architect:
Unknown
Changes After Construction:
- The Sufi Lodge began to operate under the Naqshbandiyya; it was affiliated with the Qadiriyya in the mid-17th century, passed again to the Naqshbandiyya in the late 18th century, and changed hands between these two orders more than once in the 19th century.
- The masjid-tawhidkhana was renewed in the second half of the 19th century; its walls were rebuilt in brick and it was covered with a wooden roof.
- After the closure of Sufi lodges and zawiyas in 1925, the building was abandoned; the masjid-tawhidkhana was demolished by the municipality in 1933.
- After 1933, the remaining wooden structures were used for sheltering purposes until recent times.
- In the 1982 survey, the simple courtyard gate on Horhor Avenue, the wall remains of the masjid-tawhidkhana, and two wooden structures were recorded; these units were identified as the selamlık/cells and the harem apartment.
Prominent Features:
- It is also known as Horhor Sufi Lodge; the name Hindular (Indians) Sufi Lodge was also used.
- The Sufi Lodge stood beside the Horhor fountains and was counted among the structures that defined the identity of the district.
- The Sufi Lodge was founded by Mehmed the Conqueror at the request of Hâce İshak Buhârî-i Hindî, and its expenses were covered by the sultan’s waqf.
- The masjid-tawhidkhana has a square plan measuring approximately 9.00 × 9.00 m; the mihrab was described as being placed diagonally in the wall in order to align with the qibla direction.
- The Sufi Lodge became a center that accommodated travellers and dervishes arriving from India; it was also regarded as an important focal point in Ottoman-Indian relations in the Ottoman capital.