Seyh Kutbeddin Mosque and Tomb
Iznik, Türkiye
The mosque dedicated to the Sufi philosopher Seyh Kutbeddin is located near the Yenisehir Gate of Iznik, across the street from the Nilüfer Hatun Soup Kitchen and the Green Mosque. Its exact date of construction is not known. The tomb adjoining the mosque is documented to belong to Mehmed Muhyiddin, known as Seyh or Mevlana Kutbeddin, son of the prominent Seyh Kutbeddin-i Izniki. Based on two different dates of death for the Sheikh, the tomb is dated early or late 15th century, built either by Çandarli Ibrahim Pasa (grand-vizier under Murad II and Mehmed II) or by the late Çandarli Ibrahim Pasa (grand-vizier under Bayezid I). The mosque and minaret are assumed to be contemporaneous or to be built at a later date by the grand-vizier Çandarli Halil Pasa, son of the early Çandarli Ibrahim.

Built as a single-unit domed sanctuary with a two-bay portico, only the western wall remains of the mosque, which was damaged during the Turco-Greek war of 1920-22. This wall is continuous with the eastern wall of the restored tomb. The portico arches has collapsed after the 40s and the end arch of the portico and its Byzantine column and capital, which were attached to the tomb's wall until recently, are gone. The tomb, entered east, consists of a room half the size of the mosque that is crowned by a conical dome on a dodecagonal drum. It contains two sarcophagi without inscriptions. A brick minaret with a single saw-tooth balcony rises from the northwestern corner of the tomb. It remains without spire or tiles. The construction of the mosque and the tomb is brick and stone.

Sources:

Iznik. Tarih ve Müze Komitesi Yayini, Kenan Matbaasi: Istanbul, 1943
Türkiye'de Vakif Abideler ve Eski Eserler. (Volume IV) Vakiflar Genel Müdürlügü Yayinlari: Ankara, 1972.

Eyice, Semavi. Iznik: Tarihçesi ve Eski Eserleri (Nicaea: The History and the Monuments). Sanat Tarihi Arastirmalari Dergisi Yayinlari: Istanbul, 1988.

Yalman, Bedri. Iznik (Nicaea). Governorship of Bursa, Provincial Directorate of Tourism: Bursa, 1999
Location
On Museum Street, adjacent to the Iznik Museum, Iznik, Türkiye
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
Early or late 15th C.
Style Periods
1299-1922
Variant Names
Seyh Kutbeddin Camii ve Türbesi
Variant
Seyh Kudbeddin Mosque and Tomb
Variant
Building Usages
funerary
religious