Covered up after 100 years! Unparalleled in Istanbul

Dating back 100 years from the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and built in the 5th century , the Imrahor Ilyas Bey Mosque , also known as the Studios Monastery, in the Fatih district of Istanbul , has taken its place in history as the oldest religious structure in Istanbul. The structure, which was used as a church during the Byzantine period, was converted into a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul. The structure, which was converted into a mosque by Imrahor Ilyas Bey during the reign of Beyazıt II, has survived many crises.

The historical mosque, which suffered the greatest damage during the Latin invasion, was also affected by the earthquake of 1894. The Imrahor Ilyas Bey Mosque, which was repaired during the reign of Sultan Selim III, collapsed its entire upper cover and wooden section in the early 1900s, first due to fire and then due to rain. With the closure of the dervish lodges and zawiyas in 1925, the Imrahor Ilyas Bey Mosque was abandoned. When the Hagia Sophia Mosque was converted into a museum in 1934, the historical building was transferred to the museum.

The Imrahor Ilyas Bey Mosque, which underwent restoration in 1954-1955, remained idle for approximately 100 years before being transferred to the General Directorate of Foundations of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2012. The projects prepared for the restoration of the Imrahor Ilyas Bey Mosque were accepted by the Preservation Board in 2019.

RESTORATION CONTINUES IN HISTORICAL MOSQUE

Restoration works initiated in 2023 within the framework of approved projects are ongoing. Environmental cleaning was carried out in the historical mosque. In order to protect the Imrahor Ilyas Bey Mosque, which has been open for 100 years due to various disasters, the Space Frame System Temporary Roof installation was completed. After the temporary roof is completed, the dervish lodge building will be meticulously dismantled. In addition, while there are columns carrying the upper gallery in the northern section of the historical mosque, those in the southern section have disappeared. The Imrahor Ilyas Bey Mosque, which will be restored to its original state in the southern section, will be opened for worship after the works are completed. On the other hand, the Space Frame System Temporary Roof completed in the historical mosque was viewed from the air.

"THE OPUS SECTILA SEEN IN IMRAHOR ILYAS BEY MOSQUE IS ORIGINAL"

Feyyaz Fidan, Director of the Artworks and Construction Works Branch of the Foundations Istanbul 1st Regional Directorate, said, "This monastery, which we can say is the oldest religious structure in Istanbul, is the Studios Monastery. The structure, which was used as a monastery until the conquest of Istanbul, was converted into a mosque and lodge by the Mirahor of Beyazıt II, İlyas Bey, after the conquest. In addition to the mosque, this building complex also includes a cistern, a holy spring and a fountain. We know that it had a large arcaded courtyard and dervish cells. After it became a mosque, a minaret was added, but unfortunately, we see that the cone and honeycomb sections have not survived to the present day. When talking about the İmrahor İlyas Bey Mosque, of course we should mention the opus sectila found in the Harim. In addition to its cultural heritage value for both Istanbul and Turkey, it is also valuable in terms of world culture. During the period it was built, various stones were brought from many parts of the country and these stones were laid according to a certain geometric order. The opus sectila seen here today is original. "It is a flooring left from the first construction of the building," he said.

"OUR RESTORATION WILL CONTINUE AT A RAPID PACE"

Providing information about the restoration works, Fidan said, "In 2023, we started the survey and restoration under the coordination of the General Directorate of Foundations of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. First of all, we established the construction site. We cleaned the plants and the environment. Of course, this was a structure that had been exposed to natural effects for over 100 years. For this reason, the idea of ​​establishing a temporary roof emerged to end the effects. We established the temporary roof. Injection works are being carried out on the walls with static problems throughout the structure. It continues as long as the weather conditions allow. The beam gaps are also emptied. The wooden elements have also been renewed. Exploration excavations are being carried out at many points of the structure. In order to understand the foundation and the ground on which the structure sits. The soil extracted from here is like an archaeological excavation, the soil is tesserae extracted by sifting, some architectural elements are being protected. These are also carried out under the supervision of the Turkish Islamic Arts Museum. The expropriation of the cistern section has also been completed. A cleaning work is being carried out there. After the cleaning work, a suspension system will be established. And it will be restored by designing a project. The expropriation works of the Ayazma section are ongoing. After this data emerges, restoration and conservation works will take a direction. The scientific board consisting of experts in the field is also conducting modeling studies on how to complete the upper and minaret and how to give less load to the structure. Our restoration will continue rapidly after the studies are completed. As the General Directorate of Foundations of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, we aim to complete the restoration of the İmrahor İlyas Bey Mosque as soon as possible and open it for worship. The cone and honeycomb parts of the mosque's minaret have not survived to the present day. The body part has. The restoration will be completed by approving the Preservation Board in line with the decision to be taken by the scientific board regarding the completion of the minaret and its reinforcement in terms of both statics."