Designed by the architect of the Green Masjid, Haci Ivaz Pasa, the mausoleum of Sultan Mehmed I, known as YesilTürbe or Green Tomb was built by his son and successor Sultan Murad II following the death of the sovereign in 1421. It was 3 minutes walk from the Masjid.
Set amidst cypresses on top of the hill, the mausoleum stands higher than the rest of the complex. It is built on a hexagonal plan and crowned with a hemi-spherical dome. The exterior of the mausoleum is clad with green-blue tiles that give it its name. The entry portal, adorned with Iznik tiles with blue, white and yellow flower patterns, is crowned with semi-umbrella vault and has niches above marble seats on both side of entrance.
Inside, past the carved wooden doors, the royal catafalque stands on a platform at the center surrounded by seven other tombs. It is richly decorated with scriptures and flower designs painted in yellow, white and blue glazed tiles. The lower section of walls is lined with blue-green tiles, also used in tympana of windows on the interior. The niche of mihrab on the qibla wall is also set in a large frame of ornamental tile work: the mosaic of tiles inside the niche depicts a garden of roses, carnations and hyacinths.
We went in and recited the chapter 1 of the holy Qur’an El Kareem, Al Fatihah as a ‘gift’ to those who had retired and departed this temporary worldly place earlier. After taking few shots of pictures for our future generation remembrance, we prayed to Allah swt for His Blessing in any good things that we do. In my frank opinion, honestly, this kind of lavishly decorated mausoleum is not encouraged in Islam. Nevertheless, visiting any Muslims’ graveyard or cemeteries is much encouraged. With mixed feeling though and puzzled, we left the mausoleum for another interesting place called the Silk Bazaar.
Designed by the architect of the Green Masjid, Haci Ivaz Pasa, the mausoleum of Sultan Mehmed I, known as YesilTürbe or Green Tomb was built by his son and successor Sultan Murad II following the death of the sovereign in 1421. It was 3 minutes walk from the Masjid.
Set amidst cypresses on top of the hill, the mausoleum stands higher than the rest of the complex. It is built on a hexagonal plan and crowned with a hemi-spherical dome. The exterior of the mausoleum is clad with green-blue tiles that give it its name. The entry portal, adorned with Iznik tiles with blue, white and yellow flower patterns, is crowned with semi-umbrella vault and has niches above marble seats on both side of entrance.
Inside, past the carved wooden doors, the royal catafalque stands on a platform at the center surrounded by seven other tombs. It is richly decorated with scriptures and flower designs painted in yellow, white and blue glazed tiles. The lower section of walls is lined with blue-green tiles, also used in tympana of windows on the interior. The niche of mihrab on the qibla wall is also set in a large frame of ornamental tile work: the mosaic of tiles inside the niche depicts a garden of roses, carnations and hyacinths.
We went in and recited the chapter 1 of the holy Qur’an El Kareem, Al Fatihah as a ‘gift’ to those who had retired and departed this temporary worldly place earlier. After taking few shots of pictures for our future generation remembrance, we prayed to Allah swt for His Blessing in any good things that we do. In my frank opinion, honestly, this kind of lavishly decorated mausoleum is not encouraged in Islam. Nevertheless, visiting any Muslims’ graveyard or cemeteries is much encouraged. With mixed feeling though and puzzled, we left the mausoleum for another interesting place called the Silk Bazaar.
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