Sekbanbaşı Mosque

[1] According to the writings of Hafiz Hüseyin al-Ayvansarayî (Hadîkatü’l-cevâmi‘), the original Byzantine church had been converted by İbrahim Ağa (died 1496–7), the lieutenant of the Ottoman sekban regiments (sekbanbaşı).

[1] The building was located in Kendir Sokağı, in the Kırkçeşme quarter (Fatih district), near the ancient aqueduct of Roman Emperor Valens.

[1] In 1918, during the final few years of the Ottoman Empire, the mosque and the surrounding neighborhood were once again hit by a fire.

[2] The heavily damaged fundament of the mosque was then completely torn down in 1943 as the Turkish government wanted to enlarge the Atatürk Boulevard.

[2] However, just prior to its complete demolition, a hurried excavation was carried out by Semavi Eyice, which unearthed some of the substructures of the Sekbanbaşı Mosque.