Kütahya: Ulu Camii (Great Mosque)

Thursday, 11 October (Part III)

Officially named Yıldırım Bayezid Han Camii, this mosque is commonly referred to by the locals as Ulu Camii (Great Mosque).  Not only is it the city’s biggest mosque, it is also the only one in Kütahya built in tribute to an Ottoman Sultan.

Bayezid I — nicknamed Yıldırım (thunderbolt) — reigned over the empire from 1389 to 1402.  Rumors abound as to how he acquired his nickname, but one story goes that it was because of his short temper and his heroics on the battlefield.

The structure in the foreground is the mahfİl; accessed by a narrow staircase, it is
dedicated seating where muezzins (those who call the faithful to prayer) can sit
together; beneath it is a small şadırvan (fountain), which provides drinking water.

The building of the mosque was started during the period Bayezid was governor of Kütahya (1381-1389), and continued after he ascended to the Ottoman throne.  Construction was halted in 1402, following Timur’s (Tamerlane) defeat of the Ottoman army and capture of Bayezid in the Battle of Ankara.  The mosque was completed in 1410 by one of Bayezid’s sons.

Looking towards the mİhrab, the prayer niche that indicates the direction of the Kaaba;
the mİmber (pulpit; right side of photo) was constructed without nails.

According to the tile marker in the foyer of the mosque, Evliya Çelebi — the famous 15th century traveler — described the mosque in his travelogue as a timber building with a dome sitting on 57 timber columns.  There are no such columns today and the mosque itself is made of cut-stone, thus indicating that there has been considerable renovation done in the intervening years.  According to historians, one such renovation was done in the mid-1500s, during the reign of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman (Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent). 

Looking from the mİhrab towards one of the three entrances into Ulu Camİİ.

What I found so amazing is that in a city famed for its glazed tile work, there’s nary a piece here — not on the exterior; nor inside the mosque.  The decorative elements all consist of murals painted on the walls, domes, and the corners of the columns where they hold up the domes.  Simple; yet strikingly beautiful in my opinion.

With their domes and soaring ceilings, mosques are designed to draw the eye up,
but it’s worth looking down to  see the carpet on which the faithful pray five-times daily.

Before leaving the mosque, I spied the stairs leading up to the gallery that is reserved for women, who — to this day — pray separately from the men.  With chains hanging from the dome, the gallery did not provide the easiest platform for photography, but I appreciated seeing the inside of the mosque from a different perspective.

From the gallery, I can see that the top of the mahfİl is carpeted with a matching rug.

Next up in our day of sightseeing: the fortress …