Representation of Sultan in The Edirne Üç Şerefeli Mosque: Non Existing Mahfil-i Hümâyûn and Kasr-ı Hümâyûn

Abstract

In Islamic architecture, the units assigned to the emperors to perform prayers with their entourages were called maksûre or mahfil. These units, also called hunkâr mahfili or mahfil-i hümâyûn are particularly seen in selâtin mosques to perform the Friday and Eid prayers of the sultans, as well as the isha prayers on the holy nights. The hunkâr mahfili of Edirne Üç Şerefeli Mosque, one of the examples of these structures is our subject of study. Üç Şerefeli Mosque was built by architect Muslihiddin by the torder of The Sultan Murad II between the years 1437- 1447. The structure, named after its minaret with three balconies (üç şerefeli), is also extremely important in Ottoman architecture with its central plan and the court with cloistered fountain. It is known that there was a hunkâr mahfili in the southeast corner of the sanctuary, and it is mentioned as “mahfil-i hümâyûn” in the renovation books dating from 1753, 1759, and 1763. The first window of the mosque’s east facade, toward the kiblah, has been converted to be the entrance gate to this hunkâr mahfili. The mahfil and the pavilion, which do not exist today, were demolished in 1935. Within the scope of this study, the sultan’s mahfil and pavilion, which had been demolished, will be introduced and evaluated with similar examples in terms of architectural features and construction tradition.

Keywords

• edirne
• üç şerefeli mosque
• hünkâr mahfili
• hünkâr kasrı
• architecture history