Beyazıt Mosque

Beyazıt Mosque in Istanbul is the city's oldest imperial mosque complex preserved in its original form, constructed between 1500 and 1506 over the ancient Roman Forum of Theodosius. Commissioned by Sultan Bayezit II, the building incorporates stone fragments from a Roman triumphal arch into its lower walls. Its courtyard features 20 ancient columns of porphyry, verd antique, and granite, while the portal bears calligraphy by master Sheikh Hamdullah.

Istanbul · from the walk “Sultans, Spices & Hidden Streets” · audio ~3 min · Generated

Beyazıt Camii, Beyazıt Meydanı, Fatih, İstanbul

Why is Beyazıt Mosque considered the oldest original imperial mosque complex in Istanbul?

You are standing on ground that has been the beating heart of this city for over sixteen hundred years. Before there was a mosque here... before there was even an Ottoman Empire... this was the Forum of Theodosius — probably the Largest public square in all of Constantinople. Originally built by Constantine the First and called the Forum Tauri — the Forum of the Bull — it was renamed in three ninety-three after Emperor Theodosius, who rebuilt it to rival Trajan's Forum in Rome itself.......... And look closely at the lower walls of this mosque. Do you see those fragments of carved stone that seem... older, somehow different from the rest? Embedded in the lowest part of the walls are fragments of sculpture from the Lost triumphal arch of the Forum of Theodosius. The Ottomans literally built their future on top of the Roman past.......... Now, the Beyazit Mosque itself. Built between fifteen hundred and fifteen oh six by Sultan Bayezit the Second, son of the conqueror. It was the second large imperial mosque complex in Istanbul after the conquest in fourteen fifty-three. But the earlier Fatih Mosque was destroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt in a completely different style... making this the Oldest imperial complex in Istanbul preserved in its original form.......... And here's a mystery that scholars have argued about for centuries. The chief architect of the mosque is not directly known. Based on Ottoman documents, twentieth-century scholar Rifki Melul Merich identified Yakubshah ibn Islamshah as the most likely architect. But here's what makes it truly extraordinary. This architect was a nephew of the Greek architect of the Fatih Mosque — known as Atik Sinan, or Christodoulos. And a grant from Bayezit the Second confirms that the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Mary of the Mongols — the Only church in Istanbul Never converted into a mosque — was endowed to the architect's grandmother in acknowledgment of both architects' work.......... Step into the courtyard and look at the columns. Twenty columns, taken from churches and ancient ruins across the city. Two are Porphyry, ten are verd Antique, and six are pink Granite. Every column tells a silent story of a vanished building.......... And the inscription above the main portal? Its magnificent Celi Sulus calligraphy belongs to Sheikh Hamdullah — often considered the Father of Ottoman calligraphy. He and Bayezit had been childhood friends and fellow students in Amasya. When Bayezit took the throne in fourteen eighty-one, he invited his old friend to Istanbul. The sultan didn't just commission a mosque... he had his closest friend sign it forever in stone.......... In nineteenth-century accounts of the city, this was often called the Pigeon Mosque because of the enormous number of birds that congregated here to be fed by worshippers. Look around... some traditions never die.

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