Sancaktar Hayrettin Mosque

Audio Narration

Construction Year:

Unknown (Byzantine period)

Location:

Fatih, İstanbul

Ordered by:

Alemdar Hayrettin Efendi (One of the flag-bearers of Mehmed the Conqueror)

Architects:

Unknown

- Changes after its construction
  • It was converted into a mosque during the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror.
  • It was severely damaged in the earthquake of 1894 and remained in ruins for a long
    time.
  • It was restored by the Directorate General of Foundations between 1973 and 1976.
  • During the restoration, the building was covered with a roof instead of a dome and
    opened for worship in 1976.
- Prominent features
  • It is thought that the building may belong to the Gastria Monastery, but there is no
    definitive evidence.
  • It has an octagonal plan on the outside and an equal-armed cross plan on the inside.
  • It is thought that the original structure was a mausoleum (monumental tomb) and the
    apse was added later.
  • It has a single-balcony minaret made of bricks on the north side.
  • In the interior, the arms of the cross are covered with triple arched barrel vaults.
  • Its mihrab is made of cut stone, its minbar and its gallery are made of wood.
  • The apse and other parts of the building show construction techniques from different
    periods.
  • It is thought to have been one of the important centers of iconolaters during the
    Byzantine period.
  • During the 1973 restoration, a roof was added to the building in accordance with its final
    form during the Ottoman period.
  • It is thought that the symbolic grave of Alemdar Hayreddin Efendi is located near the
    mosque.