Nilüfer Hatun Imareti

[1][2] During Murad's reign Nilüfer s recognized as Valide Hatun, the first in Ottoman history to hold this title, and when she died she was buried beside her consort Orhan Gazi in Bursa.

[1] The building is preceded by an open ended porch of five bays, with five arches in front and two on either side, carried by a succession of alternating piers and columns.

Inside, the main hall is a square surmounted by a lofty dome carried on the belt of Turkish triangles.

[1] This was a religious and fraternal society formed by the craft guilds in Anatolia during the Seljuk period.

[1] Nilüfer's foundations was later used as an imaret, or refectory, serving free food to the poor of Iznik.

Exterior view of "Nilüfer Hatun Imareti" and mosque
Entrance to "Nilüfer Hatun Imareti"
Exterior detail showing muqarnas decoration on the jamb of the main door
Interior view looking towards the central hall from the eyvan, showing the stalactite vault of the first dome and the great arch that separates the two rooms