Kurşunlu Mosque Complex: Eskişehir’s Classical Ottoman Külliye

On this page

1. What is the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?
2. How do you get to the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?
3. When is the best time to visit the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?
4. What is the history of the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?
5. What is the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex famous for?
6. What can you see at the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?
7. Common misconceptions about the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex
8. Frequently asked questions about the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex
9. What do the official records say about the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?

What is the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?

The Kurşunlu Mosque Complex (Kurşunlu Camii ve Külliyesi) is the most important classical Ottoman building group in Eskişehir. It stands at the bottom of Odunpazarı, and its name, “leaded”, comes from the lead sheeting on the mosque’s dome.

Like other Ottoman külliyes, it combined worship, teaching and charity: a mosque, a madrasa that also served as a Mevlevi lodge, an imaret (public kitchen), a tabhane (guest rooms) and caravanserais for travellers. Today it is one of the liveliest places in the old town, because its buildings house the Meerschaum Museum, carvers’ workshops, a glass-blowing studio and a library.

How do you get to the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?

The complex is in Paşa Mahallesi on Mücellit Sokak, on the lower edge of Odunpazarı, a short walk south of the Porsuk and the central shopping streets. From the YHT station, take the Estram tram into the centre and walk uphill. It makes a natural starting point for a walk through Odunpazarı, with the Odunpazarı Modern Museum a few minutes further up the hill.

Book a Kurşunlu Mosque Complex tour

−5% Istambul readers save 5% on every tour below — applied at checkout.

See all tours

Partner listings via GetYourGuide · free cancellation on most

When is the best time to visit the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?

The courtyard is open daily, but the mosque closes to sightseers during the five daily prayers and especially at Friday midday prayers. Visit on a weekday morning for the museum and workshops without the weekend crowds. Dress modestly for the mosque: shoulders and knees covered, and a headscarf for women.

What is the history of the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?

According to the Eskişehir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the complex was built between 1517 and 1525 and was probably completed in 1525. A foundation record in the Topkapı Palace Museum Archive states that the vizier Çoban Mustafa Paşa had the buildings constructed, with the exception of the Great Caravanserai.

The architect was probably Acem Ali, also known as Alaeddin Ali Bey, who held the post of chief court architect from 1519 to 1537 and is described by the directorate as the first chief architect known by name in classical Ottoman architecture (Eskişehir Culture and Tourism Directorate).

The madrasa was also known as a hanikah and a Mevlevi asitane, a lodge of the whirling dervishes, and a Mevlevi sheikh’s tomb stands in the complex. In 2008 Odunpazarı Municipality opened the Meerschaum Museum in the madrasa, and in April 2010 the old primary school (sıbyan mektebi) became a library.

What is the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex famous for?

• Classical Ottoman architecture: the 2002 provincial inventory calls the mosque the finest example of the classical Ottoman style in Eskişehir.
• The Meerschaum Museum, described by the directorate as the first of its kind in the world.
• Glass: a hot-glass workshop and glass arts centre in the caravanserai, home of the International Odunpazarı Glass Festival.

What can you see at the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?

The mosque. A square, single-domed prayer hall with a five-bay portico for latecomers, its dome covered in lead. It is the only building in the complex with a foundation inscription.

The madrasa and the Meerschaum Museum. The students’ rooms around the courtyard are now carvers’ workshops, and the museum shows about 400 works by around 60 artists, many of them from the international meerschaum festivals and carving competitions held since 1998 (Eskişehir Culture and Tourism Directorate). Meerschaum, a hydrated magnesium silicate known locally as lületaşı, is mined around Eskişehir from depths of up to about 150 m.

The imaret and tabhane. The public kitchen has a domed kitchen facing its storeroom and dining hall; the tabhane has four equal domed rooms behind a portico and is thought to be the guest quarters mentioned in the endowment deed.

The caravanserai. One of the caravanserais is now used as a wedding hall and also houses the hot-glass workshop and glass arts centre, where you can watch glass being blown.

Smaller elements. An ablution fountain, a small zaviye, the Mevlevi sheikh’s tomb, and the former school turned library.

Common misconceptions about the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex

Was the Kurşunlu Mosque built by Mimar Sinan?

What people often assume: That this, like many 16th-century Ottoman mosques, is a work of Mimar Sinan.

What the record says: The complex was completed around 1525, before Sinan became chief architect, and the directorate names Acem Ali as its probable architect (Eskişehir Culture and Tourism Directorate).

Was it built in 1515?

What people often assume: Older sources, including the 2002 provincial inventory, give 1515.

What the record says: The provincial directorate now dates the construction to 1517–1525, probably finished in 1525 (Eskişehir Culture and Tourism Directorate).

Frequently asked questions about the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex

What do the official records say about the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex?

The Kurşunlu Mosque is in the Odunpazarı quarter. It was built in 1515 in the time of Çoban Mustafa Paşa, vizier of Süleyman the Magnificent. The mosque is the finest example of the classical Ottoman architectural style in Eskişehir.

The Archaeological Museum, founded in 1945 as a storage museum in the Alaeddin Mosque with works collected from the surrounding area, was moved to the Kurşunlu Mosque Complex in 1966, and in 1974 to its present building in the Akarbaşı quarter. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Eskişehir Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)