Architect Kasëmi () (1570–1659), born in Gremsh (Tomorricë), formerly Skrapar district,

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...

, was an Albanian master of Ottoman

classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect ...

. He graduated in architecture in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

and was ranked among the closest assistants of architect

Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan ( ota, معمار سينان, translit=Mi'mâr Sinân, , ) ( 1488–1490 – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman architect ( tr, l ...

. After the death of chief court architect

Hasan Agha Hasan Agha or Hadım Hassan Ağa, also Hassan the eunuch, was a Sardinian renegade and effective ruler of the Regency of Algiers from 1533 to 1545. He was the deputy of Hayreddin Barbarossa, who left him in command when he had to leave for Const ...

in 1622, he became the chief architect of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, and has created original monumental works such as

Baghdad Kiosk Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

, Revan Kiosk, Tiled Kiosk within

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace ( tr, Topkapı Sarayı; ota, طوپقپو سرايى, ṭopḳapu sarāyı, lit=cannon gate palace), or the Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the complet ...

in Istanbul. He rebuilt one of the most beautiful buildings of Topkapı Palace,

Basketmakers' Kiosk The Basketmakers' Kiosk ( tr, Sepetçiler Köşkü), also known as ''Sepetçiler Palace'' (''Sepetçiler Kasrı''), named after the Sepetçiler Roma (basketmakers), is a former Ottoman pleasure palace located on the southern shore of Golden Ho ...

Sarayburnu Sarayburnu ( tr, Sarayburnu, meaning ''Palace Cape''; known in English as the Seraglio Point) is a promontory quarter separating the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkey. The area is where the renowned Topkapı Palace and Gül ...

. Architect Kasım Agha projected the second largest covered shopping mall, the

Spice Bazaar The Spice Bazaar ( tr, Mısır Çarşısı, meaning "Egyptian Bazaar") in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the largest bazaars in the city. Located in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district, it is the most famous covered shopping complex after th ...

Eminönü Eminönü is a predominantly commercial waterfront area of Istanbul within the Fatih district near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait and the Sea of Marmara. It is connected to Karaköy (historic G ...

, which was completed in 1660 by Architect Mustafa. He constructed also many works in Albania such as inns, bridges, baths and the tracks of

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

roads in

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located i ...

, Korcë, and so on. Involved in court disputes, he was exiled to Gallipoli in 1644. After one year he was pardoned, and returned to the palace. Kasım Ağa excelled more in politics than in architecture. So, by helping Köprülü Mehmet Paşa to ascend to the post of grand vizier, he initiated the

Köprülü era The Köprülü era ( tr, Köprülüler Devri) (c. 1656–1703) was a period in which the Ottoman Empire's politics were frequently dominated by a series of grand viziers from the Köprülü family. The Köprülü era is sometimes more narrowly ...

in the Ottoman history. He died in 1659.

References

1570 births 1659 deaths Albanian architects Architects from the Ottoman Empire Recipients of Ottoman royal pardons People from Gramsh, Elbasan Albanians from the Ottoman Empire {{Albania-bio-stub