Kasap İlyas Mosque

Audio Narration:

Construction Year:

15th century (After the Conquest of Istanbul)

Location:

Fatih, İstanbul

Ordered by:

Kasap İlyas Bey (Chief Butcher and “Ni'mel Ceyş”* member during the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror)

Architects:

Unknown

Changes After Construction:
  • The mosque was completely destroyed in the 1894 earthquake and rebuilt using old stones.
  • The narthex was repaired in 1993 and covered with wood.
  • The structures around the mosque were demolished during the expansion of the Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine.
Prominent Features:
  • The mosque has high windows, round arches and a wooden roof.
  • The minaret, which was not damaged by the earthquake, consists of three parts; a stone cone, square base, 10 hexagonal body, and the body and balcony are made entirely of cut stone and continue in their old form. The 8-pointed star inserts on the railing are carved in relief.
  • The harem section of the mosque was meticulously repaired and a wooden dome was placed on the ceiling. The top of the mihrab in the niche protruding to the outside has plaster muqarnas (drop structure).
  • The minbar is wooden and bears the carved decorations of the period.
  • The concrete pulpit is made of plaster at the bottom and has wooden railings on the top.
  • There is a women’s gallery in the mosque.
  • It is a beautiful example among the Ni’mel Ceyş mosques.
  • The mosque, which has a square plan and is constructed of cut stone, has a wooden narthex to the north and a minaret on the northwest corner.
  • The mosque is covered with a tiled roof inclined in four directions; The interior has a wooden ceiling and a dome.
  • The mihrab is in the shape of a semicircular niche and the interior decorations are late-period hand-drawn works.
  • In the graveyard on the qibla side of the mosque is the tomb of its founder, Kasap İlyas Bey.
  • Ni’mel Ceyş, “Blessed Army”, name given to those who participated in the Conquest of Istanbul.