An architectural monograph of the Karaköy Mosque in Istanbul

Abstract

Karaköy Mosque was located at the western end of the building island, north of the Ziraat Bank building, in Karaköy Square in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. It was a small-scale district mosque with a central space rising above two-storey shops at street level.

The mosque, which was first built in the seventeenth century as part of the Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha Foundation, was ruined and unusable in the late nineteenth century and was rebuilt by Sultan II Abdülhamid. For this job, the Sultan appointed the Italian architect Raimondo D'Aronco, who came to Istanbul in 1893 and made significant contributions to the architectural production of Istanbul during the fifteen years he spent in the city as the palace architect. In fact, there are three different more project proposals prepared for the Karaköy Mosque and kept in the Udine Archive. D'Aronco's project was chosen among these suggestions.

The mosque, built in the Art Nouveau style between 1903 and 1909, had a strong plastic effect. Since it is located in a prominent position towards the square, it can be seen in many Karaköy photographs taken during the years it was in use.

Karaköy Mosque was also affected by the construction activities carried out in Istanbul between 1956 and 1960. In 1958, it was decided to move the mosque to be rebuilt on Kınalıada, on the grounds of expanding Karaköy Square. The mosque parts dismantled for this purpose were lost and reconstruction was not carried out.

Fifty-two years after its demolition, legal regulations were made for the reconstruction of the Karaköy Mosque, according to the Preservation Implementation Plan approved by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 2010.

Although it is an important building in the history of architecture, Karaköy Mosque does not have a monograph. This study aims to present the history of this important building based on the historical documents available today.