Şeyh Murad Efendi Sufi Lodge

Audio Narration:

Construction Year:

17th century

Location:

Eyüpsultan, İstanbul

Ordered By:

Mustafa Râsih Efendi of Çankırı

Architect:

Unknown

Changes After Construction:
  • The building was established as a madrasa in the mid-17th century; in 1715, it was converted into a Sufi Lodge in the name of Sheikh Murad Bukhari.
  • After the death of Sheikh Murad Bukhari in 1720, this section acquired the function of a tomb when he was buried in the masjid-dershane space of the madrasa.
  • After the madrasa was converted into a Sufi Lodge, harem and selamlık apartments were added; some student cells were assigned to functions such as a coffee hearth and dining hall, while others were used as dervish cells.
  • In 1730, a shadirvan and fountain were built for the Sufi Lodge.
  • The record dated 21 November 1752 shows that the masjid-tevhidhane section was converted into a mosque by the addition of a minbar.
  • In the 20th century, some of the structures began to fall into ruin; in 1977, the harem and selamlık sections were damaged.
  • The three-storey wooden mansion assigned to the sheikhs of the Sufi Lodge was demolished in 1983, and its site was turned into a ball field.
  • In the 1990s, the tevhidhane, madrasa cells, and tomb were restored; the stone building was used for a period as a student dormitory.
  • In 2014, a restoration campaign covering the whole of the Sufi Lodge was initiated.
Prominent Features:
  • It is also known as Murad-ı Münzevî Sufi Lodge and Sheikh Murad-ı Bukhari Sufi Lodge.
  • The Sufi Lodge is one of the early centers of the Mujaddidi branch of the Naqshbandiyya in Istanbul.
  • The independent masjid-tevhidhane at the southeastern corner of the plot is a distinctive element of the building complex with its arrangement related to the tomb space.
  • Kuşluk Hammam was annexed to the Sufi Lodge in the mid-18th century.
  • The graveyard, together with the grave of Sheikh Murad Bukhari, is one of the main elements defining the identity of the Sufi Lodge.