Kandilli Mosque and the Periodical Changes

Located in a narrow part of the Bosphorus, between the Goksu Stream in the north and Vanikoy in the south, there are many rumors that the Kandilli district was called ‘Kandilli’ during the Ottoman Period. When Sultan Murad IV. ordered the construction of a large palace at the time of their conquest of Revan, when they returned from the victory in 1632, In the new palace, they soon had a prince named Mehmed. In the memory of this blessed event, a seven-night oil lamp was built in this palace. That s why this place got its name. As Sultan Mahmud I rebuilt the palace because it was devastated, he built mosques, bazaars, shops, baths and fountains around the palace in a region called Nev-âbâd. Meanwhile, the Kandilli Mosque was built in 1751. Thus, as a summer settlement area, the district where the royal gardens, which were in service of the Ottoman palace for a long time, was established and opened to the settlement. Sultan Mahmud I. distributes some parts of the palace to the public and starts building zoning. Built by Sultan Mahmud I, the Kandilli Mosque, which was built in a different architectural style in the Republican Period after being burned in the gas fire of 1916, is important in terms of art history and architectural history in terms of reflecting both periods. It is one of the small-scale mosques in the Bosphorus. However, its location on the shores of the Bosphorus caused damages such as fire and explosion in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The fact that the mosque was made of wood caused it to burn completely and the people of Kandilli could not worship in the mosque for a long time. The Kandilli Mosque was rebuilt in 1931; It is a masonry building with a wooden roof. The last congregation is entered through the main entrance on the seaside. But over time, some insignificant annexes were placed inside and outside the mosque. On all facades of the mosque there are various elements such as pipes, cables and air conditioning outdoor units. There is surface deterioration on all facades painted on plaster. In this study, all these annexes were included and it was suggested to be removed during restoration. The sources, archival documents and photographs related to Kandilli Mosque were evaluated in this study. The current situation of the mosque, pencil works, tiles, architecture, plan, additions have been tried to be put forward comprehensively.