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.