Abstract:

In the 17th century, the Ottoman chief architect Kasim Agha, stands out because of his interest in politics and his close relationship with significant personalities such as the grand vizier, the Sultan’s Hodja, and the Queen Mother, apart from his building activities. Architect Kasim Agha, who was mentioned among those who pretended to be vizier by the grand viziers of the time, and who was exiled, imprisoned, and even wanted to be murdered many times due to his political activity, did not give up being interested in politics despite all the disasters that befell him. Kasim Agha, who was appointed as the kethuda of Hadice Turhan Sultan in 1651, achieved his great aim by bringing Köprülü Mehmed Pasha to the grand vizierate in 1656. It is understood that Kasim Agha, whose name has not been found much after this date, was not alive in 1662, based on the kadı registers. Among the Ottoman architects, there are also patrons who had various types of structures built in their name and pioneered the establishment of new neighborhoods due to the structures such as masjids they had built. Architects-patrons generally had structures built in their hometowns and in Istanbul. Due to the architectural etiquette, which is especially felt in the capital city of Istanbul, it cannot be expected that the structures of the architect-patron will compete with the structures of the grand vizier or the pasha in terms of location, architectural quality, and scale. Therefore, these unwritten rules, which are tied to architectural traditions, are especially effective in Istanbul. On the other hand, it is understood that Kasim Agha, who is at the forefront with his political relations, had a structure built in his name with his political visibility and motivation to reveal his claim. In this sense, the building differs from the other structures built by architects-patrons with the political identity of Kasim Agha. Architect Kasim Agha, who is known for his role in political life rather than his architecture, had the darulhadis built in his name in the Sehzadebası district of the capital Istanbul, his of great significance in terms of reflecting the lesser-known patron identity. The location, establishment, degree, operating conditions, repairs, and architecture of the Architect Kasim Agha Darulhadis, which was built in the first half of the 17th century and determined to have survived until the beginning of the 20th century, are discussed under separate headings, based on mainly Ottoman archive documents and his waqf named El-Hac Kasim Ağa ibn-i Ali. The relationship between the choice of building type and the position of the darulhadis with the political aspect of Kasim Agha is also emphasized. As a result, the position of Architect Kasim Agha Darulhadis, which has not survived, among the Ottoman madrasahs in the capital of the era, has been tried to be determined.

Keywords: