Mesnevihane Mosque
Changes After Its Construction:
- A minaret was added to the mosque shortly after its construction.
- A well collar (a cylindrical stone placed on the mouth of a water well) was put by Nevfidan Kadınefendi in 1852.
- After the closure of the lodges (in 1925), some parts of the buildings were ruined, and the tevhidhane (main hall of the lodges where separate mosque does not exist), selamlık (where greetings and farewells take place in a lodge), dervish cells and library were demolished.
- It was renovated in 1968 and started to be used as a masjid and a classroom.
- The patio of the narthex was made of concrete instead of wood.
- Prominent features
- It is also known as Darülmesnevi (“House of Mathnawi”) Lodge.
- Mosque was built in the Empire style, a style that was influential in Ottoman architecture from the time of Sultan Mahmud II.
- The building has a rectangular plan close to a square, with rubble stone and brick walls. The door and window frames are surrounded by limestone, and the roof is hipped and covered with tiles. The wooden patio with low arches was later changed to concrete. It attracts attention with its wooden ceiling with bars and simple interior.
- Its minaret was added to the structure later and has a single balcony and is made of brick. Its most interesting detail is the minaret finial in the shape of a Mawlawi coin (headgear), which offers a unique architectural detail.
- The fountain’s chamber, which is in the shape of a hexagonal prism, is decorated with wavy strip reliefs. There is an inscription in Thuluth documenting that it was built by Nevfidan Kadınefendi in 1852.
- The rectangular prism shaped brick water tank has a small marble fountain on its façade facing the courtyard.
- The shrine in the lodge, which houses the wooden coffin of Sheikh Mehmed Murad Effendi, has a rectangular plan. The shrine is a structure with a hipped roof and brick walls. The name of Sheikh Mehmed Murad Effendi and the date of his death are written on the window on the west side.
- The purpose of the construction of the building was to teach the Mathnavi of Rumi, the science of Sufism, and Persian. It is known as the last Darülmesnevi opened in Istanbul.
