Şeyh Resmi Mosque

Audio Narration

Construction Year:

15th century

Location:

Fatih, İstanbul

Ordered by:

Sheikh Resmi Mahmud Efendi

Architects:

Unknown

- Changes after its construction
  • It was built by Sheikh Resmi Mahmud Efendi, an Ottoman Sufi, in the 15th century.
  • The mosque, which fell into disrepair at the end of the 19th century, was restored by Sheikh al-Islam Mehmed Cemaleddin Efendi.
  • It was completely destroyed by fire in Fatih in 1918.
  • The mosque plot remained vacant for nearly 100 years, and only its name and memory survived in the neighborhood.
  • It was rebuilt in 2016, remaining true to its original architecture, and opened for worship.
  • The current name of the mosque commemorates both its founder, Sheikh Resmi Mahmud Efendi, and Sheikh al-Islam Mehmed Cemaleddin Efendi, who revived it in the 19th century.
- Prominent features
  • It is also called the “Şeyhülislam Mosque” because Şeyhülislam Cemaleddin Efendi had the mosque rebuilt.
  • The Şeyh Resmi Mosque is a small-scale place of worship in accordance with the tradition of Ottoman neighborhood masjids.
  • Its general plan is rectangular, almost square, and consists of a single congregation area.
  • The walls were built with an alternating wall technique consisting of cut stone and brick.
  • It is covered with a pyramidal roof covered with tiles.
  • The mihrab is decorated with a simple muqarnas arch in accordance with classical Ottoman architecture.
  • The minbar and the preacher’s pulpit are made of wood.
  • The minaret has a single balcony and a brick body and is in the classical Ottoman style.
  • At the north entrance, there is a balcony with wooden railings used as a women’s gallery.
  • There is a fountain made of cut stone in the courtyard of the mosque and is called “Mehmed Cemaleddin Efendi Fountain”.
  • The tomb and graveyard of Sheikh Resmi were completely destroyed in the fire of 1918, and no tomb elements can be found today.
  • The mosque, together with the ruins of the Yeniçeşme Madrasa next to it, is an important heritage that keeps the historical texture alive.