Hırka-i Şerif Mosque
Changes After Its Construction:
- In the early 17th century, during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I, visits began with the Hırka-i Şerif (“The Blessed Mantle”, a relic of Prophet Muhammad) brought to Istanbul by Şükrüllah Uveysî.
- Çorlulu Ali Pasha had a stone cell and soup kitchen built for the preservation of the Hırka-i Şerif.
- Sultan Abdulhamid I had a small masonry cell added in 1780.
- Sultan Abdulmejid had the mosque built in 1851 for the Hırka-i Şerif.
- It underwent extensive restoration work in 2014.
- Prominent features of the mosque
- It has a single dome on an octagonal plan and 16 windows. The structure is built of cut stone.
- The panels containing the names of Lafza-i Celâl (“The Word of Glory”, a name for God in Islamic tradition), the Holy Prophet, Cihârıyâr-ı Güzin (The Four Caliphs), Hasan and Husayn (Grandsons of the Prophet) were written in the calligraphy of Sultan Abdulmejid. The mihrab, the minbar and the pulpit are in the Rococo style, decorated with gilded and mosaic stones.
- It has two single-balcony minarets in the Empire style. Corinthian headings are imitated on the minarets, and their cones are covered with lead.
- On the upper floor, there is the Hırka-i Şerif Room, the Sultan’s Lodge, the meşruta* for the Üveys family, ablution taps and the Muezzin’s gallery.
- Additional Buildings: The barracks built for a company of guards during the construction of the mosque are currently used as the Fatih National Education Directorate. There is a Quran school for girls in the courtyard.
- The mosque takes its name from the holy relic kept inside, the Hırka-i Şerif (“Blessed Cloak”), which the Prophet Muhammad gave to Veysel Karani (Owais al-Qarani) as a gift.
- According to the story, the Prophet Muhammad gave his cloak to Veysel Karani, who longed to see him but could not come to Medina. This sacred trust was passed down from generation to generation after Veysel Karani’s death and was opened to visitors in the Hırka-i Şerif Mosque, built by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulmecid in the 19th century. The Hırka-i Şerif, which is offered to the public during the months of Ramadan, has great spiritual value in the Islamic world.
*The word “meşruta”, which means “conditional” in the dictionary, is used for the rooms or houses allocated by the foundation for the accommodation of officials such as imams, muezzins, preachers, hafidh, teachers, sheikhs, shrine guardians, trustees, muvakkits and lecturers working in foundation works such as mosques, libraries, primary schools, dervish lodges, etc.
