Changes After Construction
The building was used for 17 years, between 1908 and 1925, under the name Ümmü Kenan Dergah.
With the Law on the Closure of Tekkes and Zawiyas in 1925, some changes were made to the architecture of the building, its dervish lodge functions were removed, and it was converted into a residence.
Between 2003 and 2007, the dergah building was reconstructed in accordance with restitution projects.
Since 2007, it has been used as the building of the Cenan Foundation for Education, Culture and Health and the Ken’an Rifâî Research Institute.
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The dergah was named “Ümmü Kenan Dergah,” meaning “Mother of Kenan,” by Kenan Rifâî after his mother, Hatice Cenan Hanımefendi. It was also known as the Altay Dergah.
The dergah was opened in 1908, on 23 Rajab 1326, with a ceremony and ritual gathering. Kenan Rifâî began his spiritual guidance activities here as postnişin, the sheikh seated on the lodge’s spiritual seat.
During the reconstruction process, the ground floor was left as masonry, while the upper floors were built as timber cladding over a steel frame, and the exterior façade was covered with wood in an effort to achieve its original appearance.
