Sultan I. Ahmed Tomb

I. Ahmed

Birth/Death: 1590 – 1617
Title: 14th Ottoman Sultan
About: Sultan Ahmed I ascended the throne at the age of thirteen, making him one of the youngest Ottoman sultans. During his reign he ended long-running wars by concluding the Treaty of Zsitvatorok with Austria and the Treaty of Nasuh Pasha with the Safavids, and he crushed the Celali rebellions in Anatolia with Kuyucu Murad Pasha. By sparing his brother Mustafa’s life and confining him to the kafes (royal cage), Ahmed effectively abolished fratricide and steered the dynasty toward succession by seniority (ekberiyet). He launched an ambitious building programme, most famously commissioning the six-minaret Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the Blue Mosque) and its külliye, which still dominate Istanbul’s skyline. Ahmed I died of tuberculosis at twenty-seven and was buried in the courtyard of his own mosque; his reform efforts and architectural legacy give him a distinctive place in pre-Tanzimat Ottoman history.

II. Osman (Young Osman)

Birth/Death: 1604 – 1622
Title: 16th Ottoman Sultan
About: Ascending the throne at a young age, Osman II secured the empire’s northern frontier by signing the Treaty of Khotyn after the Polish campaign; when that campaign nonetheless proved disappointing, he launched sweeping reforms aimed at overhauling the Janissary corps and creating a modern army. Intending to sideline the ulema and the Janissaries, he planned to recruit “sekban” units from Turkmen, Arab, and Kurdish tribes in Anatolia, relocate the capital to Anatolia, and undertake the pilgrimage to Mecca. His strict austerity measures, which slashed palace expenditures, and his bid to curb Janissary power provoked fierce resistance from the corps and the religious establishment. In 1622 a Janissary uprising dethroned him, and he was strangled in Yedikule Fortress. Known to posterity as “Young Osman,” he is remembered as the first Ottoman sultan to be killed and for his thwarted reform initiatives and tragic end.

IV. Murad

Birth/Death: 1612 – 1640
Title: 17th Ottoman Sultan
About: Murad IV ascended the Ottoman throne at the age of eleven, initially ruling under the regency of his mother, Kösem Sultan, during a time of imperial decline. From 1632 onward, he established absolute authority, suppressing internal uprisings and enforcing strict discipline over the Janissaries and sipahis. Known for his harsh rule, he imposed bans on tobacco, alcohol, and nighttime outings, measures that helped restore public order and stability. In 1638, he led a successful campaign against the Safavids, capturing Baghdad, and the following year concluded the Treaty of Zuhab (Kasr-ı Shirin), which largely defined the modern border with Iran. He reformed the military, imposed fiscal discipline, and sponsored architectural projects, including the renovation of the Imperial Arsenal and Topkapı Palace, and the construction of large galleys. Despite his enforcement of sobriety among his subjects, Murad himself died young from cirrhosis caused by alcohol consumption. He was buried in the mausoleum of his father, Ahmed I, at the Sultanahmet Complex. Murad IV is remembered as a powerful yet authoritarian ruler who restored state authority through military strength and unyielding control.

Mahpeyker Kösem Sultan

Birth/Death: 1589 – 1651
Title: Valide Sultan (Queen Mother), Naibe-i Saltanat
About: Born Anastasia of Greek origin and renamed “Mahpeyker” upon entering the palace, Kösem Sultan gained the title Haseki through her marriage to Sultan Ahmed I and swiftly became the most influential woman at court. After her husband’s death, she effectively steered the empire for decades as Valide Sultan when her young sons Murad IV (1623 – 1640) and later Ibrahim I (1640 – 1648) ascended the throne. Acting as naibe-i saltanat (regent), she attended imperial councils and signed decrees in their names, making her one of the few women who de facto ruled the Ottoman state. Although she managed palace rivalries with consummate skill, her alliances with the janissaries and court aghas gradually weakened. Renowned for philanthropy, she founded extensive charitable endowments—külliyes, soup kitchens, and relief institutions—that earned her popular esteem. Yet a palace coup backed by her daughter-in-law Turhan Sultan led to her strangling in Topkapı Palace in 1651; she was buried in Sultan Ahmed’s mausoleum within the Sultanahmet Complex. With nearly half a century of influence, her benefactions, and her commanding role at the height of the “Sultanate of Women,” Kösem Sultan is remembered as the most powerful dynastic woman in Ottoman politics.

Construction Year: 1617–1619

Ordered by: I. Mustafa and II. Osman

Architect: Unknown

Prominent Features:

The tomb is square in plan with chamfered corners and is roofed by a large dome carried on tromps.
Its exterior is entirely sheathed in marble; the chamfered angles terminate in muqarnas-filled niches.
Each façade contains three tiers of windows: the lowest tier has rectangular openings with wooden shutters, while the upper tier features pointed-arched windows fitted with stone grills.
The entrance is fronted by a three-bay portico whose marble columns bear muqarnas capitals.
The monumental doorway is crafted of ebony in the kündekârî technique, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ivory, and tortoiseshell.
Inside, İznik tiles and painted ornamentation richly adorn the walls; tile panels fill the spaces between the windows, and Qur’anic verses along with the Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of God are inscribed on the dome and pendentives.
Interred here, in addition to Sultan Ahmed I, are his consort Mahpeyker Kösem Sultan, his sons Sultans Osman II and Murad IV, and several other princes and princesses.

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Sultan I. Abdülhamid Tomb

Sultan I. Ahmed Tomb

I. Ahmed

II. Osman (Young Osman)

IV. Murad

Mahpeyker Kösem Sultan

Fatih, İstanbul

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