Sahn-i Seman Madrasas

The earthquake of 1509 caused major damage to the madrasa structures of the complex, especially to the domes.
The Semaniye madrasas were repaired after the earthquakes of 1509 and 1765.
The madrasas were closed in 1924; the buildings remained vacant for a long time.
The Sahn buildings were restored between 1951 and 1953.
From 1975 onward, some parts of the buildings were used as a student dormitory, a dispensary, and a children’s home.
The section of the Tetimme madrasas on the Mediterranean side was demolished in 1928 during the opening of Fevzi Pasha Avenue.

The eight high-ranking madrasas within the complex were called the “Semaniye”; the madrasas were arranged in groups of four on the two sides of the mosque.
The madrasas in the complex are divided into two groups as the Semaniye (Sahn) and the Tetimme (Musile-i Sahn).
The Sahn madrasas on the Marmara side were called the Mediterranean madrasas, and those on the Golden Horn side were called the Black Sea madrasas.
Each Sahn madrasa consists of nineteen cells around a porticoed courtyard and one large domed classroom-masjid.
The madrasas were known by the names “Baş Kurşunlu / Çifte Baş Kurşunlu / Çifte Ayak Kurşunlu / Ayak Kurşunlu.”
After the conquest, the complex was designed in a symmetrical arrangement as one of the city’s important religious and cultural centers.