Timurtaş Pasha Mosque At The Edirne - Karaağaç - Timurtaş Village

Abstract

The Timurtaş Pasha Mosque, located to the south-west of the Karaağaç district of Edirne, had not up to now been analysed in a detailed way. Which of the Timurtaş Pashas of Ottoman history founded this mosque, its date of construction, the repairs and restoration work to which it was subjected and its importance within the context of Turkish architecture, were some of the problems that had to be clarified. In this study, the Timurtaş Pasha Mosque has been analysed from the point of view of its plan, its architectural structure, the materials and techniques used to build it, and its decorations. The study has been carried out in a comparative way, with regards to contemporary architectural works or to those that were done in previous ages. In addition to this, answers were found to the above mentioned questions. On the basis of archival documents and publications, it has been established that among the four Timurtaş Pashas of Ottoman history, Subaşı (Muinüddin) Timurtaş Pasha was the one, who had this mosque built. This decayed and abandoned building has survived to our days, without the upper part of its minaret and without most of its doors and windows. With its square plan, cubic structure, innermost part covered with a dome placed on an octagonal drum with Turkish triangles, and minaret on the north-western corner, the building has a monumental look. Roughly hewn and natural stones have been used together to build the structure. The interior of the walls and of the dome of the building, which is generally simple as far as decorations are concerned, have been decorated with floral compositions and calligraphy, over plaster. The mosque does not have an inscription indicating the dates of construction or of eventual repairs, but based on the fact that Subaşı (Muinüddin) Timurtaş Pasha's vakfiye (deed for the establishment of a pious foundation) is dated 820 of the Islamic Era (1417 AD) and that the Pasha died sometime after 1428, we can come to the conclusion that the mosque was built during the first quarter of the 15th century. The Timurtaş Pasha Mosque has a plan that was frequently used in Turkish architecture. Also from the point of view of the materials and techniques employed in its construction, it bears similarities with early Ottoman mosques in Edirne and in other cities. From the point of view of its plan, its architectural structure, the materials and techniques used to build it, and its decorations, the building has all the characteristics of its times.