Firuzağa Mosque, an emblem of Ottoman tolerance

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Unlike most of the single minaret mosques in Istanbul, the minaret of the Firuzağa Mosque in Sultanahmet, the erstwhile center of Ottoman Istanbul, was placed to the left on the wall opposite the Qiblah -- the direction that Muslims face when engaged in ritual prayer.

Firuzağa Mosque was built in 1491 by order of Firuz Agha, the �hazinedarbaşı,� or keeper of the treasury, who served the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II. During the building's construction, the minaret was placed to the left on the wall opposite the Qiblah, though as a rule minarets of such mosques had to be placed to the right on the wall.

Many stories are told about why the minaret of Firuzağa Mosque is situated on the left but there is still no accurate account, said cultural historian Dursun Gürlek.

The Firuzağa Mosque was one of the Islamic religious structures built in the first few decades following the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II. The neighborhood in which it was located, Sultanahmet, was the heart of Constantinople and at the time about 80 percent of the population was made up of Greeks. According to the most reliable account about the placement of Firuzağa Mosque's minaret, the majority of the inhabitants living on the right side of the mosque near the Roman and Byzantine obelisks were Greek, while Muslims made up the majority on the other side, which is close to present-day Divan Yolu street. The minaret of the mosque was built on the left side so as not to disturb Greeks living near the mosque with the sound of the ezan, the Muslim call to prayer, which is broadcast from the top of a mosque.

In addition to this widely told account, which reflects the tolerant character of the Ottoman Empire, another story says the Firuzağa Mosque was built to emulate the first mosque that Muslims built in Mecca.

Professor of art history Doğan Kuban noted that mosques with minarets on the left are often encountered from the 14th century and the rule that the minarets should be placed on the right appeared in later periods, after which it essentially became a tradition.

History & architecture

The treasurer of the Ottoman Palace used to accompany the sultan during his expeditions. One of his tasks was going to the mosque and laying the Sultan's seccade, or prayer rug, before the Friday prayer started. He would also lay his forehead on the ground before the sultan did during his prayer in order to check whether any danger was awaiting his majesty.

Following the death of Mehmet II his son, Beyazid II, ascended to the throne. Then, 10 years after that the treasurer of the time, Firuz Agha, had a small mosque constructed across from Hagia Sophia at the entrance of the most glorious street of the Byzantine Empire. The tomb of Firuz Agha, who died in 1512, is also located in the mosque's yard. Some rose figures are engraved on the four faces of the marble sarcophagus.

Based on a design of 13.5 meters by 13.5 meters, the Firuzağa Mosque has a remarkable door and an eight-sided dome designed in the Bursa style. It was built upon four buttresses and has a three-arch entryway. In another story about it, people say the spot where the Firuzağa Mosque stands was where the Roman emperors used to watch horse races. Another major characteristic of the Firuzağa Mosque is that afternoon calls to prayer are made simultaneously with the calls from the minarets of the nearby famous blue mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

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