Mihrişah Sultan Complex

The Mihrişah Sultan Complex (Turkish: Mihrişah Valide Sultan Külliyesi) is a külliye (Ottoman charitable foundation) founded by Mihrişah Sultan in the late 18th century. The complex is located next to the Eyüp Sultan Mosque complex in Istanbul, Turkey. The complex's largest component is an imaret (soup kitchen) which is notable for being one of the last imarets in Istanbul to still serve its original purpose.[1][2][3] The rest of the complex is also notable for the founder's mausoleum and for its ornate street-facing sebil, all built in the Ottoman Baroque style.

The mausoleum (far left) and entrance (right) of the complex

Description

Construction of the complex took place between 1792 and 1796 and was commissioned by Mihrişah Sultan, the mother of Sultan Selim III.[4][2] The complex is located next to the Eyüp Sultan Mosque in the Eyüp neighbourhood of Istanbul. Selim III's reign (1789–1807) saw renewed Ottoman dynastic interest in this area, as he was responsible for rebuilding the Eyüp Sultan Mosque between 1798 and 1800.[5][6]

The complex consists of a large imaret (soup kitchen) and a mektep (primary school), but from the street its most visible elements are a sebil and her mausoleum.[1] This urban configuration was similar to the earlier Hamidiye Complex (partly demolished today) in the Eminönü neighbourhood, which was commissioned by Selim III's predecessor Abdülhamid I.[7] The façade of the Mihrişah Sultan complex, with its vibrantly Baroque sebil and tomb, is one of the most notable exterior façade designs in Ottoman Baroque architecture and one of the grandest Ottoman charitable complexes from this period.[8][2]

  • The mausoleum, located at the southwest corner of the complex
    The mausoleum, located at the southwest corner of the complex
  • The cenotaph of Mihrişah Sultan inside the mausoleum
    The cenotaph of Mihrişah Sultan inside the mausoleum
  • The sebil
    The sebil
  • The Imaret building, seen from the courtyard of the complex
    The Imaret building, seen from the courtyard of the complex

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mihrişah Valide Sultan Türbesi.

Citations
  1. Sumner-Boyd & Freely 2010, p. 366.
  2. Goodwin 1971, p. 410-411.
  3. AA, Daily Sabah with (2016-02-01). "Istanbul's historic public kitchen makes life easier for refugees and the homeless". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  4. Rüstem 2019, p. 254.
  5. Goodwin 1971, p. 411.
  6. Kuban 2010, p. 546.
  7. Rüstem 2019, p. 253.
  8. Kuban 2010, p. 520.

Bibliography
  • Goodwin, Godfrey (1971). A History of Ottoman Architecture. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-27429-0.
  • Kuban, Doğan (2010). Ottoman Architecture. Translated by Mill, Adair. Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 9781851496044.
  • Rüstem, Ünver (2019). Ottoman Baroque: The Architectural Refashioning of Eighteenth-Century Istanbul. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691181875.
  • Sumner-Boyd, Hilary; Freely, John (2010). Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City (Revised ed.). Tauris Parke Paperbacks.

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