Saraçzade / Haci Pir Madrasa That Has Not Reached Today and Architecture in Trabzon

Abstract

The madrasa known as Saraçzade / Hacı Pir Efendi Madrasa, located in Ortahisar Neighborhood in Trabzon, has not reached today. The part known as Ortasaray, Ortahisar or Saraçzade Mescidi and the courtyard gate have survived form the structure. The building, which is understood to have existed in the 18th century, was destroyed in the fire middle of the 19th century. After this date, it was rebuilt with the initiatives of Hacı Pir Efendi, who gave its name to the building and was also the professor of the madrasah. Largely with the contributions of the sultan; information about the plan and architecture of the madrasa, which is the understood to have been built together with the mosque / masjid and library, is very limited.

The project of the madrasa, that has not reached today, is available in the Ottoman Archives. The floor plans and facade view of the madrasa are included in the project. In the rectangular plan of the building, it is understood that it was a two-storey madrasa with a portico and an open courtyard. The spaces are placed in a “U” pattern on both floors, behind the row of colonnades. The masjid of the madrasa, which has reached today, is located in the corner of the courtyard. The entrance to the madrasa is through the door opening in the middle of the south wall on the lower floor. The spaces on the lower floor of the madrasa are located in the south, east and north directions. It is seen that the spaces in the north direction are arranged in the form of shops open to the courtyard and to the outside. In the plan, the spaces are defined one by one. At the same time, the shops, which seem to have been built to generate income for the madrasah, are located on the lower floor. It is difficult to difficult to determine whether the madrasa was built as defined in the project.

The masjid of the madrasa, which has reached today with additions and repairs, is covered with a rectangular plan and a tiled roof. The western wall of the masjid as well as the madrasa, is a wall likely to belong to the Byzantine structure with niches and openings on it. On the east side of the mesjid, there is a closed last congregation place with an entrance from the madrasa door, that is from the south side. The eastern wall of the last congregation place should belong to the madrasa in this direction. The construction inscription is also an this wall. In the interior, there is a wooden women’s gathering place in the north, supported by a wooden pillar. The sanctuary of the masjid is plain except for the mihrab with baroque decorations.

In this article, the post-fire construction process and architecture of the building will be evaluated in the light of documents obtained from the Ottoman Archive. The plan of the madrasas, which is understood to be an example of the late Ottoman madrasahs, will be introduced and examined in detail in this study for the first time.