Ahmet UYANIKER

The system of foundation plays an important role and a function in ensuring social and national solidarity in Turkish society in the lifetime of more than six hundred years of the Ottoman Empire. Since public works, education and culture, health and welfare services of the Ottoman settlements were met largely by foundations. In this context, in almost all cities of the Ottoman Empire the works of the foundations that were built by Ottoman statesmen and benevolent citizens can be found. Among the cities of Ottoman, Istanbul has several military, civil and religious works as it was the capital of the State for many years A portion of these works have survived resisting for many years. These structures are subjected to different studies from historical, architectural and cultural aspects. One of the historic structures that has survived from the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul is Mahmud Ağa Mosque. The work was built by Suleiman the Magnificent’s Babüssaade, Mahmûd Ağa, it is also referred to as a work of Architect Sinan. The mosque is still open to worship in Sutluce District- Damar Street in Istanbul. The mosque is not much known as paled in comparison with other works of Architect Sinan in Istanbul, and there is not much information and document about it. In this study, it was aimed to give an information about this less known work of Architect Sinan and the founder of the mosque's foundation with the existing knowledge and the data contained in the book belonging to the year Hijri 1020 (1611 A.D.) of Mahmud Ağa Mosque. Since, there has been no other foundation books than the examined one found about the mosque and its builder in the document scanning of Ottoman Archives in Prime Ministry. The emergence of new documents in the following years will contribute to the subject.

Keywords: Architect Sinan, Mosque, Babüssaade, Mahmoud Ağa Mosque, Foundation.