Kalenderhane Mosque
When you take the metro to Vefa close to Süleymaniye, you will be confronted by a ‘mosque’ named Kalenderhane but I like to call this mosque ‘a temple like no other’ because I wonder how many ‘temples’ there are across the world that has been a ‘home’ to Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Kalenderis and Sunni Muslims across the centuries. We are talking about 1400 years of transformation!
‘Kalenderhane Mosque’ was constructed on top of a Roman bath around 6th century AD and was used as an Orthodox Church until Latin crusaders conquered and crushed the city of Constantinople in the 13th century turning it into a Catholic Church.
But then Ottoman Turks came to conquer the city of Constantinople in the 15th century, turning Constantinople into a Muslim city and this Church was no exception. Fatih the Conquerer gave this church to Kalenderis who were the most heterodox of all sects. We are talking of Muslim believers who had extreme measures and life styles, preferring to live in poverty, shaving their hair fully, dressing up like beggars, wearing piercings and living an isolationist life detached from all earthly pleasures. But in the 18th century, the building was turned into a sunni mosque. The building was abandoned in 1930 due to dire conditions but was restored during 1966-1975.
Today, one can visit this mosque which feels like a Byzantine Church from outside and a blend of mosque and Orthodox Church from inside with few Roman bath remains in the garden. This building always reminds of Istanbul with its eclecticism and eccentricity. Something definitely unique under the sun!
