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A Philanthropist Woman in Izmir in the 18th Century: Mehmed Pasha’s Daughter Ayşe Hanım and her Pious Foundation
Authors: Yasin Taş
Number of views: 400
Izmir Konak Square has started to acquire its identity as the government square through construction of public places during the Tanzimat period. The square was enlarged by removing or destroying most of the surrounding structures in the course of time. In this zone, where sweeping alterations have taken place, few buildings identified with the square still remain. Each of these remaining buildings represents different time periods. The Yalı Mosque is one of the structures that experienced serious changes and transformations along with the square. This small building in the style of a masjid which stands out through its Kütahya tiles and classical Ottoman architectural style was built by Ayşe Hanım in the mid-18th century. This study examines Ayşe Hanım’s life, her family, endowments, the state of her waqf after her passing, and the waqf buildings, including the mosque.
Ayse Hanım is the daughter of Dervishzade Mehmed Pasha, the chief admiral of İzmir province. Her grandfather Dervish Agha was one of the ayans (local notables) of the Birgi District, and her husband was Hazinedarzade Müderris Mehmed Efendi. Ayşe Hanım, engaged in trade at the Izmir Port, shortly before her death built a madrasah next to her mansion on the waterfront in 1749, and a masjid six years later, in 1755. In order to establish income source for the waqf, she donated her real estate including an inn, a pier, a mansion, a store, a soap factory, and an olive grove. These structures, known by the name of Ayşe Hanım in the 18th and 19th centuries, were later referred to as Yalı Mosque and Yalı Madrasah. The madrasa was demolished during the last period of the Ottoman Empire, when the construction process of the Izmir Government Building and the expanding the Konak Square were taking place. Yalı Mosque, on the other hand, was rebuilt in a different location after being demolished in the second half of the 19th century. The mosque preserved its existence to this day through considerable renovations in the early 20th century. Ayşe Hanım established one of the prominent women’s waqfs of the time period, thereby has sought to ameliorate various aspects of the life in the city such as religious, educational and cultural activities. The contents and details found in the charter of the waqf not only reflect the conditions and the service aspects for the functioning of a waqf, and the world of women as well as their philanthropic capacity during the time period, but also reveal several aspects of 18th-century Izmir.
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