Esmahan Sultan Mosque
Esmahan Sultan Mosque
Esmahan Sultan Mosque
Esmahan Sultan Mosque
Historically, the Mosque was built in 1525 by the daughter of Ottoman sultan Selim II, wife of Ottoman pasha Sokollu Mehmed, her father’s vizier. The Mosque is surrounded by a Muslim cemetery, valuable due to its age, culturally and spiritually, with tombs over 300 years old. For its building it has been used stone taken from the walls of Callatis city. The ritual fountain from the mosque’s yard was built with the stone from an ancient Roman tomb. After 1989, the mosque was renovated with help from Mangalia Municipality. In the communist era, the mosque was full of weed and the cemetery had no fence. A few years after the Revolution in 1989, the Muslim tombs, over 300 years old, as well as the mosque, were renovated and a high fence was built. Today, in Mangalia, are over 3000 Muslims, mostly Turkish and Tatar. The older believers come daily for praying. The Muslim prayer is practiced daily, 5 times a day, when the imam’s calling is heard throughout the city: Allahu Akbar!-Allah is great! The five prayers have different names, in accordance with the time of day: : [tr]sabah – [ar] FAJR (in the morning) – from dawn until immediately before sunrise; – [tr] ögle – [ar] ZUHR (noon) – from noon (12.00 o’clock) until afternoon; – [tr] ikindi – [ar] ASR (afternoon) from late afternoon until before sunset; [tr] aksam – [ar] MAGHRIB (sunset) – after sunset, until the end of day; [tr] yatsi – [ar] ISHA (evenings) – at night, until midnight or early dawn. During the two Muslim celebrations- Idul Fitr and ‘Idul Adha-Esmahan Sultan Mosque becomes extremely crowded. “Idul Fitr is celebrated at the end of a fasting month, when Muslims express their joy and happiness by offering the Prophet a prayer, with the entire community, at the mosque. “Idul Adha, another major Muslim celebration is dedicated to Ibrahim Prophet (Abraham), the one who was willing to sacrifice his own son, Ismail (Ishmael) at Allah’s command. Muslim women are not allowed to assist at the prayers in the mosque, except some celebrations, such as Prophet Muhammad’s birthday celebration or the day the Quran began to be revealed. Muslim women are also forbidden to participate on Fridays services. When they come at the mosque, the always remain near the entrance, behind men. Today, the mosque can be visited by tourists and locals and Imam Halil Ismet from Esmahan Sultan is the one who tells the mosque’s history. In 2008 extensive repairs works were made, the roof was uncovered and replaced with a new one. Inside, plaster was renewed and the minaret, which was leaning, was brought to its initial conditions. The fountain in the yard was also restored after it had been blocked in 1959 and the water will, once again, be used for bathing the dead ritual.
