The Great Mosque () is a historic stone mosque situated in

İlkadım Ilkadim is a municipality and district of Samsun Province, Turkey. Its area is 155 km2, and its population is 333,518 (2022). It is located on the coast of Black Sea. The district has an altitude of 5 meters.It is also the most populous dist ...

Samsun Samsun is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and a major Black Sea port. The urban area recorded a population of 738,692 in 2022. The city is the capital of Samsun Province which has a population of ...

, Turkey. The mosque was first built during the

Seljuk period The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. The empire spanned a total area of from Anatolia and the Levant in t ...

in the 1300s. The original structure caught fire in 1869 and was rebuilt in 1884. Today it is one of Samsun's most beautiful and historical mosques. The Great Mosque is located adjacent to the Samsun Clock Tower and

Samsun Saathane Square Saathane Square is a public square in Samsun's Ilkadim district and takes its name from the Samsun Clock Tower which is located in the center of the square. Along with Republic Square (Samsun), it is one of two important and historical squares in ...

History

The Great Mosque () is one of the oldest surviving mosques in Samsun. The original Great Mosque was built in the 14th century by Hidir Bey, a military commander in the

. The original mosque was built of wood, like most structures in Samsun, but was destroyed during the Great Fire of Samsun in 1869. In the years following, the site was cleared, and a new mosque made of stone was constructed. In 1884 the new mosque was opened for public use. The stone structure was designed by Batumlu Haci Ali. Sultan Abdul Haziz's mother funded the construction of this mosque. As a result of her involvement and funding of the construction, the mosque is also colloquially known as the Valide (mother) Mosque.

Architecture

The mosque is located in a large tree-filled courtyard adjacent to

. The mosque is made of cut stone. The central dome of the mosque is decorated with floral and geometric patterns. The structure has two large minarets on its western frontage. Both minarets have balconies and a simple stonework finish. The mosque has large arched windows which let in an abundance of natural light. There is an ornate central chandelier in the main prayer space. The Mosque is serviced by the Büyük Cami Station of the

Samsun Tram The Samsun Light Rail Transit System (Samsun Tramway) is a light rail transit system located in Samsun and Atakum, Turkey. The Samsun Tramway connects Ondokuz Mayıs University to Samsun Stadium. The system was constructed in three phases bet ...

, and is visible from Ataturk Boulevard.

Gallery

File:Büyük Cami onarımı, 1883.jpg, The Great Mosque while under construction in 1883 File:Büyük Cami ve Samsun Saat Kulesi.jpg, The Great Mosque and Samsun Clock Tower

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Central Great Mosque (Samsun) Buildings and structures in Samsun Province İlkadım Seljuk mosques in Turkey