Works in Fethiye Mosque archeopark to end soon

ISTANBUL

The excavations conducted by the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s General Directorate of Foundations in the Fethiye Mosque — built in Istanbul’s Fatih district in the 13th century and converted from a church to a mosque in the 16th century — have come to an end.

The excavation area is set to be opened to visitors in 2024 after the demolition of an illegal floor next to the historical mosque.

Archaeologist Murat Sav said that the chapel located right next to the mosque will also be opened as a museum. “When structure ruins began to emerge during the excavation, we thought it would be better to consider this place as an archaeopark, and the project was carried out for this purpose. We are in the final stage of excavations. The courtyard side, together with the parenthesis section, will serve as an archaeopark and museum.”

Built by Mihail Glabas Tarkaniotes, one of the Byzantine notables, at the end of the 13th century, Pamakaristos Church began to be used as a patriarchate in 1454 after the conquest of Istanbul. With the conquest of Georgia and Azerbaijan in the Persian wars in 1601 during the reign of Sultan Murad III, it was converted into a mosque as a memory of the conquest.

Speaking about the Fethiye Mosque, Sav said: “Fethiye Mosque that has survived to the present day was built between 1292 and 1294 by Mihail Glabas Tarkaniotes, who we can consider as one of the leading statesmen of the period. It was built in accordance with Byzantine basic structural principles. It is known as Pamakaristos, which means 'very happy.' A parecclesion space was added to the south side of the building by his wife Maria, approximately 20 years after its initial construction. This is a thin, long place. An important ritual place. This location is one of the main reasons why the structure is so prominent."

"There is a poetic narrative on the façade, inside and outside of the building. The poem here was written with an incredible poetry concept that coincides with religious love as well as the love he felt for his wife. Since the Havariyyun Church in the area where today's Fatih Mosque is located was in a very bad condition, this place was allocated by Fatih Sultan Mehmed upon the request of Patriarch Gennadios. It was used as a patriarchate continuously during the Ottoman period until 1586,” Sav added.

Stating that there are special details, Sav said: “A comprehensive repair was carried out in the building at the end of the 16th century. Because especially the east facade was damaged to a great extent during fires or in one of the earthquakes. There are especially valuable mosaics inside the parecclesion that have survived to the present day. These are some of the most important pieces of Byzantine visual art. For example, there are very valuable mosaics such as the figure of Jesus, the baptism of Jesus, the depiction of the four great angels, and the depiction of Jesus as the protector of the universe among the prophets.”

Stating that the excavation work was almost done, Sav said, “Excavations were carried out on the southern and mostly eastern facades and important data was obtained. We are already in the final stage of excavations. The courtyard side, together with the parecclesion section, was reorganized as an archeopark and museum. Excavations in the area started in 2018. It was carried out under the supervision of the Istanbul Archeology Museum Directorate. We had the chance to find a cistern that we knew existed before. We found an unknown cistern, too. Remains of a bath from the late Byzantine period were unearthed. Accordingly, we come to the end of the project. The final work is now being done. We plan to open this place this year.”

Explaining the transformation of Pamakaristos Church into Fethiye Mosque, Sav said: “The transformation into a mosque is also a bit interesting. This subject is not fully known. Something happened to the structure in the 1580s. I think it was a fire. That's why, it was restored and during these works, it was converted into a mosque and named ‘Fethiye.’ This is an extremely beautiful structure where both Byzantine and Ottoman building techniques merge.”