Semiz Ali Paşa Madrasa
Changes After Construction:
- When Fevzi Pasha Avenue was opened in 1926–1927, the entrance orientation of the structure was turned toward this facade.
- In the early Republican period, it was used as a soup kitchen; after the repairs in the 1960s, it was put into use as a health center.
- In the most recent major repairs, stairs were built in the porticoes to provide access to the basement, and the fireplaces in the cells were closed off.
- In the 1959 repair, the porticoes were enclosed; wet areas were arranged in the basement added beneath the porticoes.
- In the restoration completed in 2018, the portico joinery was renewed; service spaces such as storage, lavatories, and a kitchen were added to the rear garden.
Prominent Features:
- It is also known as the Cedid Ali Pasha Madrasa.
- It is a madrasa built independently, not as part of a complex, and it has no inscription.
- In the layout forming a “U” around the courtyard, the cells are arranged on three sides; there are a total of 15 cells and a square-planned, domed classroom.
- The classroom is covered with a dome on pendentives; the classroom mass is separated from the cells by passages on both sides.
- The muqarnas portal and the window niches with Bursa arches on the two sides enrich the facade.
