Külliye

Süleymaniye Mosque and Külliye in Istanbul

A külliye كلية is a complex of buildings, centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution, often based on a vakıf (foundation), and composed of a medrese (religious school), a darüşşifa (clinic), kitchens, bakery, hammam (bathhouse), other buildings for various charitable services for the community and further annexes. The term is derived from the Arabic word kull (meaning ‘the whole’, ‘all’).

The tradition of külliye is particularly marked in Turkish architecture, within Seljuk – particularly Ottoman Empire and also Timurid architectural legacies.^[1]

Notable külliye include:

• Battal Gazi Külliye, dedicated to a saint, in Seyitgazi, Eskişehir, commissioned in 1208 by Ümmühan Hatun, wife of the Anatolian Seljuk sultan Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev I and extended in 1511 by the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II,
• Orhan Gazi Külliye in Bursa, commissioned in 1339 by the Ottoman sultan Orhan Gazi,
• Hüdavendigar Külliye in Bursa, commissioned between 1365-1385 by the Ottoman sultan Murad I,
• Bayezid I Mosque and Külliye in Bursa, commissioned between 1390-1395 by the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I,
• Emir Sultan Mosque and Külliye in Bursa, dedicated to the dervish and scholar Emir Sultan, built for the first time in the 14th century, and re-built in 1804 following the destruction caused by 1766 Bursa earthquake, rebuilt again in 1868 following the destruction caused by 1855 Bursa earthquake,
• Timurtaş Pasha Mosque and Külliye in Bursa, commissioned between 1404-1420 by the Ottoman commander Kara Timurtaş Pasha,
• Mehmed I Mosque in Bursa, commissioned between 1419-1421 by the Ottoman sultan Mehmed I,
• Muradiye Külliye in Bursa, commissioned in 1426-1428 by the Ottoman sultan Murad II,
• Fatih Mosque and Külliye in Istanbul, commissioned between 1463-1470 by the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror,
• Bayezid II Külliye in Amasya, commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II in 1485-1486,
• Bayezid II Külliye in Edirne, commissioned in 1488 by the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II,
• Selimiye Mosque and Külliye in Edirne, commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Selim I in 1522,
• Abd al-Qadir Geylani Külliye in Baghdad, commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent in 1534,
• Ulu Camii Külliye, in Adana, completed by Ramazanoğlu Piri Mehmet Paşa in 1540,
• Şehzade Mosque and Külliye in Istanbul, commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent in 1548,
• Süleymaniye Mosque and Külliye in Istanbul, commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent in the 1550s,
• Muradiye Mosque and Külliye in Manisa, commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Murad III between 1583–1592,

References

1. Kiuiper, Kathleen (2009). Islamic Art, Literature, and Culture. Rosen Education Service. pp. 200–205. ISBN 978-1-61530-019-8.