Şişli Etfal Hastahanesi Mosque
Audio Narration
Construction Year
1899-1907
Location
Şişli, İstanbul
Ordered by
Abdulhamid II
Architects
The project was prepared by Italian architect Raimondo d'Aronco.--Mahmud Şükrü Bey, the chief architect of the hospital and one of the instructors of the Imperial Engineering School, carried out the implementation by making changes to the project.--Another Italian architect, Felix Pellini, is mentioned for the supervision of architect Aronco, but it is not certain whether he actually worked.
Changes after its construction
- During the construction process, Aronco project porticoed sections and tower location were implemented with some differences.
- The art nouveau and orientalist elements in the project were simplified and transformed into a more static design called "style turc" (Turkish style).
- Although minor repairs have been made over time, there is no clear information about any major renovations.
Prominent features
- The mosque has a rectangular plan. It has a flat roof supported by four pairs of legs and a tiled roof.
- In Aronco project, the mosque was given a "tower-minaret" function; as a result, a monumental-looking structure emerged, combining the clock tower and minaret forms.
- The tower is approximately 20 m high and has a square plan. Its facade is designed with alternating colors of red brick and white marble.
- The clock, placed in the arch area on the tower axis, was designed to be illuminated at night with the "porcelaine diaphane" (porcelain-like) system of the period, which showed the Turkish and Western" time.
- The inscription of the building is located on the pointed arch frame at the entrance.
- The wide eaves porticoes in D’Aronco’s drawings were incorporated into the interior in practice, creating a more usable space.
- Although the overall design reflects the eclectic style of the period, it was defined asTurkish style in official documents.