Burgaz Island Mosque is a small mosque with a single minaret. At the first step inside, the warm view of this lovely mosque and the peaceful view seen from its windows fascinate you. The best thing is that all the people of Burgaz Island contributed during its construction. While looking for a solution to its unfinished construction, Angelos, one of the Greek master builder from Burgaz Island, voluntarily completed the construction. I hope this article I have compiled from different sources will be a good guide for your next visit or when you pass by the ferry.
Istanbul Encyclopedia Reşad Ekrem Koçu Burgaz Island Mosque 1963, pp.3140-3141
This article was written by Hakkı Göktürk.
It is on a very steep wall on the eastern slope of the island; It is the first mosque of the island and was built in 1953, in the fifth hundredth year of the conquest of Istanbul. Burgaz Island had become an island and a village without mosques for five centuries. It was replaced by the Municipality of Istanbul, the public helped the construction costs and the building was built by high architect Burhan Ongun.
It is a concrete structure; Oddly enough, the minaret was built first, the temple was built later, so it has a slightly complicated plan. The actual worship scene has eight corners and is covered by a large and high dome; A triangular stony and mustatil-shaped narthex was added to fill the gap between the minaret and the stage; These two parts appear as patches in the plan of the building.
From the street, a triangular shaped stony is entered through a glass door with two wings. There is the minaret door on the left, a door opening to the last congregation opposite, and the mosque's door opening to the worship scene on the right.
There is also a very wide passage between the last congregation place and the prayer scene. From the last congregation place, which is illuminated by four small windows, a narrow and choked stone staircase leads to the upper floor women's section.
Since the stage is entered from the stony ground, there is a mihrab right across. Inside the right middle wall of the octagonal building is a small barrel-domed niche, and opposite it is a loge; The mihrab, niche and these loft walls are projected outwards with six corners. The wall between the stony entrance door of the stage and the mahfil, on the other hand, was left open to the last congregation in a wide form. it is probably
both a simple and an ambiguous plan.
The stage is illuminated by 1 small window in the vault, one large window on three walls, 8 arched windows at the top, 24 plaster-framed windows in the dome rim, and the stage is illuminated by 36 windows in the cem. Of these, the mahfil window and the window in the wall between the mahfil and the mihrab are extraordinary. It is a bright mosque. The floor has been furnished with new and clean carpets and rugs, and a beautiful base is hung on the dome. On the second day of the 1962 Feast of Eid, there was an imam master, a young muezzin, and a navy soldier who became beautiful with luminous faith.
Although the mosque is on a flat foot from the street, it is extraordinary since it is on the wall, and there are imams and muezzins under it.
The minaret was built by Mehmed Özyelkenci (I will share his story in another article), one of the first enterprising committee, and the minbar was placed by the same person. The electrical installation was made by Hıfzı Örnekal, this person also took the floor and laid the floor with carpets and rugs. Ablution taps in the lower stony are also the charity work of the iron merchant Arslan Sümer. The non-Muslim people of Burgaz Island also contributed to the construction costs of the mosque. The names of those who first attempted to build the mosque are written on a civil plaque placed on the right wall of the stage: "Hıfzı Örnek, İzzeddin Feray, Zühdü Tüker, Mehmed Özyelkenci, Mehmed Kocakırbaşı", the following lines are also written in the same plan: "Master Architect: Burhan Ongun; Foreman: Mustafa Topçu. 1953 ”.
The concrete water reservoir of the ablution taps takes 10 tons of water; water is drawn by motor from a desolate holy spring below, by the sea.
In the mosque, a gasilhane was built below, but the musalla stone was not placed. On Burgaz Island, the funeral prayer is performed in the cemetery.
Houses of God on the Princes' Islands - Hasan Kuruyazıcı p.44-47
The Burgaz Island Mosque is located on a quite steep cliff situaated on the eastern side of the island, close to the seashore. Sets were constructed on the land in order to place the mosque on the terrain. The mosque is small and both the main mass and on the minaret demonstrate the balanced ratios used within the Ottoman classical period mosques. The mosque does not have a courtyard and an indoor narthex can be entered through the road. From here both the prayer room (harim) and women's place can be accessed with the stairs. The mosque's sanctuary (harim) is shaped like a regular octagon. The octagon tambour that carries the dome therefore transitional elements such as a squinch or a pendant were not used. Until
the lower level of the windows, all of the walls, and the parapet walls of the women's place are covered with custom-made tiles. The dominant turquoise color in these tiles and the 16th century Ottoman tile motifs used as samples give a vibrant and the real appearance to the sanctuary. The funeral prayers are per formed in a small terrace.
The mosque's architect is Burhan Arif Ongun (1902-1980). The story told about the construction of the mosque in 1953 is: The contractor that over sees the construction works, claims that he cannot earn enough money and leaves without completing it. As it was desired to complete the construction of the mosque until the 500th anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul, one of the Greek Orthodox contractors from the island volunteers to finish the construction (I'll share his story in another post) and completes the mosque on time. An integral part of the mosqueis the six large writing placards placed in six equal intervals in alignment with the dome
tambour inside the prayer room. Two of these are reserved for Allah and Mohamed. The remaining four would have the names of the first four caliphs written on them, respectively Ebu Bekir, Ömer, Osman and Ali. Most if not all mosques also have placards that have the names of Mohamed's grandchildren's names as well as Hasan and Hüseyin, the sons of Prophet Ali written on them. These names are written by famous calligraphers and with Arabic letters and constitute the most beautiful examples of the traditional art of calligraphy, The placards are sometimes prepared outside the mosques and then hung on the walls, while in others they are written over the plaster with paint and in some they are placed in their designated places after they are prepared with custom made tiles.
Princes' Islands Buildings Architects - Hasan Kuruyazıcı p.74-75
Burhan Arif Ongun (1902-1980)
He was born in Istanbul. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1928, and studied in the Urban Institute (Institut d'Urbanism) in Paris with a scholars hip given by the state. He worked in the workplaces of famous architects such as Le Corbusier and Auguste Perret during that time. He went back to his country in 1931 and was required to serve for the state, and worked in the Urban Planning Office of the Ministry of Public Works. He was assigned for the General Inspector of Board of Settling. He got retired from Istanbul Municipality as a consultant architect. He dies in Istanbul. He especially worked as an urban planner and signed most of his articles as "urbanist architect".
