The interior of Istanbul’s Sanki Yedim Mosque is roughly 100 m2 and the outside space is 130 m2. It can hold up to 200 worshippers. The mosque is a reinforced concrete structure with four quarters and enormous domes. The minaret has one reinforced concrete balcony, and the mosque is devoid of architectural art sceneries; it is rather plain.
Sanki Yedim Mosque History
One of the oddest, funniest, and most telling anecdotes is that of the the mosque. Hayreddin Kececi Efendi, a pastoralist who lived in Istanbul’s Fatih neighborhood, is said to have died. He used to wander around marketplaces and say to himself, “as if I ate,” and save the money in a box anytime he needed fruit, meat, or candy.
After several years of saving the majority of his earnings, he was able to build a tiny mosque in his neighborhood. As word spread about his narrative, the mosque was dubbed “Sanki Yedim,” which has since become the oddest name for a mosque in Istanbul, if not the entire globe.
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Sanki Yedim Mosque Location
If you visit Istanbul and walk to Kirbaci Nam Street in Fatih, you’ll find the mosque among the old houses, a witness to a poor man’s deep dedication and discipline. He forewent life’s joys in order to construct a mosque that would have a significant impact in the hereafter. “If life delights beckoned you, respond it: as if I ate!” says the man in his story.