Description
Kalenderhane Mosque, a historic place of worship dating back to the Ottoman era, is located in the Fatih district of Istanbul. There is no precise information about the construction date of this mosque on Kirbacı Street in the Zeyrek area and who built it. Rumors say that a middle-class merchant named Keçecizade Hayreddin saw the Ottoman sultans' mosques built during the Ottoman period and envied them. He wished to build a mosque himself and began saving money for it. When he wanted something but didn't take it, he would put his money in a separate place, saying, "As if I ate it," indicating that he did not spend the money. He built a small mosque, and its cost was small, using the money he saved for 20 years, and the mosque's name began to spread among people as "Sanki Yedim Mosque."
As there is no information about the person who built the mosque in official records, opinions about the mosque's founder also vary. Alongside Keçecizade Hayreddin, another person associated with the construction of the mosque is Shakir Efendi from Adana. The building is believed to have been constructed in the 18th century, and the original structure suffered severe damage during a major fire in the Unkapanı area during World War I. The building, which remained abandoned until 1959, was used as a carpentry shop for a while but was later rebuilt after significant renovations with funds collected by the neighborhood residents. The interior of the mosque is 100 square meters, accommodating about 200 people for worship simultaneously. It features an oval-shaped minaret with one balcony. Today, the area surrounding the mosque is surrounded by houses and apartments.
