Author
Khoja Mimar Sinan Agha (died 996/1588).
Author Original
خوجة معمار سنان آغا توفي عام
Publication Date
982/ 1574
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;26;ar
Library Location
Payas, Deretul, Katay, Türkiye
Date
982/ 1574
Notes
Payas is a city and port, located on the road linking Anatolia with the Middle East. Due to its strategic importance, it has witnessed several civilizations, and it became part of the Ottoman Empire in 921 / 1516 following the Battle of Marj Dabiq. The importance of Payas increased thanks to the growing trade relations between the Ottoman Empire and the countries of the Middle East, and its location on the pilgrimage route. In order to enhance this strategic location and meet the needs of travelers, Sultan Selim II ordered the construction of the complex here. As for The official employee who was entrusted with the task was Sokolu Mehmed Pasha, who in turn used the architect Sinan to implement the project. The complex was established next to a fortress built after the Ottoman conquest and replaced an old one, and it occupies an area of 700 x 250 square meters. In the middle of the complex is a street extending from north to south, 115 meters long and 15 meters wide, and contains 48 shops on each side of an arched portico, in addition to a dome in the center that is built underneath it. Prayers. To the east of the shops there are several buildings for hospitality: a hostel, a restaurant for the poor, and a small hotel, and to the west there are buildings for prayer, culture and health, including a mosque, a primary school and a bathroom. The hostel consists of a square-shaped courtyard surrounded by arcades to the north, south and east, the roofed part of which is covered by intersecting vaults. As for the restaurant for the poor, located to the south of the hostel, it includes a courtyard with corridors and rooms to the east. And the west. The small hotel designated for exceptional visitors consists of four rooms and is located to the west of the inn next to the shops. The bathroom is located in the northwest of the shops, and it is a building designed as a double bath: the hot water room in the men’s section includes four iwans and four corner rooms, while those in the women’s section are in the shape of a star. The primary school was built next to the western wall of the men’s section, and includes two square-shaped rooms with two domes, and a hallway with three spaces on one side. The south. As for the school and the mosque, located southwest of the shops, they share a courtyard that can be accessed through an entrance from the north and through the shops. The school consists of 21 halls surrounded by arcades on three sides. The mosque consists of a prayer hall with a solid shape and a corridor - for latecomers - with eight spaces on the north side, and a minaret in the northwest corner. The prayer hall is covered by a dome in the middle, and includes distributed iwans. In four directions and with intersecting vaults. The main walls of the complex’s buildings are all covered with carved stone. There may be a connection between the two-colored stonework found on the entrances of many of the complex’s buildings, especially at the entrance to the mosque and the mihrab, and Mamluk and Zengid art rooted in Egypt and Syria. Among the complex’s buildings, the mosque is unique in maintaining its original function. The other buildings are not in use, but are open to visitors.
Sample Text
“Sokulu Mehmed Pasha Complex” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;26;ar
