FROM MUŞKARA VILLAGE TO BECOMING A GROOM FOR THE PALACE

Writer: Yavuz İşçen
April 2007

Muşkara was the name of today’s Nevşehir in Ottoman times. Muşkara, which was the birthplace of Damat İbrahim Pasha, a symbol of the Lale Era, first started as a village of Ürgüp (which was a borough of Niğde) then became a district of Niğde and finally in 1954 became a province. The tragic life of Damat İbrahim Pasha, who left a mosque complex in his name, is also the story of the transformation of Muşkara to Nevşehir.

Damat İbrahim Pasha left his village for Istanbul in 1688 and there became one of the helva makers (a traditional Turkish dessert) of the palace. Later on he took different duties in the palace such as a sultan’s security guard and a legal administrator. His intelligence and hard work attracted the attention of Ahmed III, who was a prince at the time. After Ahmed III became the sultan, Damat İbrahim Pasha was promoted to be a Pasha and was assigned important duties in the palace. By marrying the Sultan’s widowed daughter Fatima Sultan in 1717, he became a groom of the palace. Following the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718, he was appointed as vizier and started to handle the government politics and later became the grand vizier.

An era that derives its name from a flower
All Turkish people know the name of the Lale (Tulip) Era. The name was given by Yahya Kemal Beyatlı long after to describe this luxurious and lavish era where the chairman of the Ottoman Empire lived very comfortably. It was also a period of great innovation and progress in science art and social issues. It was Damat İbrahim Pasha who enabled the first printing press to reach to Ottoman Empire by supporting İbrahim Mütefferika. As a symbol of the era, he was the only man whose head was wanted by the rebels of the Patrona Halil Uprising at the end of the Lale Era in 1730.  Since the Sultan was worried about the rebellion spreading, he got his son in law executed in the palace and handed his body to the rebels. The body of Damat İbrahim Pasha was carried to Sultan Ahmet Square where it was ripped apart. Later on, the remains of the grand vizier were buried in the garden of Şehzadebaşı Mosque which had been built by him.

Muşkara becomes Nevşehir
Damat İbrahim Pasha valued the development of Istanbul and especially his birthplace Muskara. Şehzadebaşı Mosque Complex is the best amongst his constructions in Istanbul. In 1725 under his order, the name of Muşkara, which was a village of Ürgüp, was changed to Nevşehir meaning new city. This was followed by some administrative changes resulting in the chairman of Ürgüp being assigned to Nevşehir and the appointment of Nevşehir as centre of a borough. At the same time Ürgüp’s bazaar was moved to Nevşehir and taxation was lifted which made life in Nevşehir more attractive. By taking many precautions against migration to Istanbul, Damat İbrahim Pasha helped the local population grow. A busy construction of bridges, inns, Turkish baths, madrasahs (schools for general and theological education) and mosques followed. Amongst these structures, Damat İbrahim Pasha Mosque Complex is surely the best known.

Damat İbrahim Pasha Mosque Complex
Built between 1726-1727 under Damat İbrahim Pasha’s direction, it consists of a mosque, madrasah, library, sibyan mektebi (junior school), imaret (kitchens for madrasah students) and Turkish bath.

Kurşunlu Mosque
Known as Damat İbrahim Pasha Mosque. However because its domes are made out of lead, locally it is called Kurşunlu Mosque (Leaded Mosque). It was built by head architect Mehmet Ağa and his foreman Serkis and located in a courtyard surrounded by high and thick walls. The courtyard has three entrances. The west side door which is also used today has double arches. The inner arch is decorated with verses from the era’s famous poet Nedim.
The main area of the mosque is reached through a wooden door with two arches. The lower arch is decorated with verses from Seyyid Vehbi. This square shaped main area is covered with a dome. The exterior of the building has a simple architecture, however the interior has been adorned with stencilled motifs from the Lale Era. The minaret on the north side of the mosque is built in the baroque style and embellished with Acanthus leaves.

The Ablutions Fountain
It stands in the middle of the courtyard, on top of 8 marble pillars and covered with lead. The body of the water tank has 12 corners. The taps are separated by small marble pillars. The gutter of the wooden interior domes is decorated with geometrical shapes and zigzags.

Madrasah (School)
Built at the same time, it stands on the west side of the mosque. Cut stone was used in its construction. After being refurbished in 1961 it was reopened as a Public Library. The arched entry door of the madrasah contains an epigraph from Seyyid Vehbi. A square shaped courtyard holds domed madrasah rooms containing cupboards and stoves.

Library
Located to the north east of madrasah, it dates to 1727. The interior of this domed square structure is decorated with stencils. It is known that Damat İbrahim Pasha presented 187 volumes to the library.

Imaret (Kitchen)
Built in 1726, it stands south of the madrasah. It consists of two rooms, a kitchen, toilets and a storage room carved in rock. It was used as a prison for some time and in 1949 transformed into a museum. Today it is used as a soup kitchen.

Sibyan Mektebi (Junior School)
Located to the south of the Imaret in the same courtyard, the first floor of this two-storey building was carved in rock. Today it is used as a storage depot. The second floor is made of cut stone and has three domed rooms each holding a window looking onto the courtyard.

Turkish Bath
Built in 1727 to the north of the mosque complex, it consists of separate buildings that are made out of cut stone. An octagonal saloon on the top floor holds changing rooms with wood cladding. There is an octagonal pool in the middle of the domed saloon.

Fountains
There are two fountains in the mosques complex; the first one is on the north wall of the mosque courtyard, and the other one, which holds an epigraph by Seyyid Vehbi (a poet), is on the supporting wall on the corner of Sibyan Mektebi. Both are adorned with various decorations.

Note: This article has been published in Peribacası Cappadocia Culture and Publicity Magazine, April 2007 issue. It is under protection of the copyrights of the magazine. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com