A specially woven carpet faithful to the original has been laid at the Selimiye Mosque, regarded as the pinnacle of Turkish-Islamic architecture.
Comprehensive restoration works launched in November 2021 by the General Directorate of Foundations have largely been completed. The mosque is set to reopen for worship with the first tarawih prayer of Ramadan, as final touches are being made.
Under the supervision of a scientific committee, each section of the mosque was meticulously restored. Structural reinforcements were carried out on the main dome and the lead coverings were renewed. Later, cement-based interventions were removed. Glass and wooden window frames were fully replaced, while decay and material losses in the original wooden shutters and doors were repaired.
Of the 264 interior plaster window panels, those replaced with flat glass or plexiglass during a 1983 repair were reconstructed in line with the original using a stainless steel structural system and bottle-bottom glass. Exterior elements made of white cement were replaced with water-resistant special mortar and stainless steel equipment. Reinforcement and maintenance of the four minarets were completed. Decorative painting and plaster ornaments in the main prayer hall and porticoed courtyard domes were also restored.
While most of the restoration has been finalized, work continues in the burial area, along with tile cleaning and landscaping.
Extra care for the carpet
The new carpet was woven in the Demirci district of Manisa, taking as a reference the mosque’s original carpet preserved at the Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.
Produced for the mosque’s approximately 3,000-square-meter usable area, the carpet remains faithful to the original design and draws inspiration from traditional Anatolian handwoven prayer rug motifs. A prayer rug layout was preferred in the front section, while the main prayer hall features the original pattern woven in a tone-on-tone technique using “Edirne red,” the city’s internationally recognized color.
Mustafa Özkul, owner of Kalida Carpet, said they carried out a special project for the mosque, which architect Mimar Sinan described as his “masterpiece” and which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage List site.
Özkul noted that the carpet was produced from 100 percent domestic wool and woven at a density of 729,000 knots per square meter.
“While the thickness of the carpet may vary, the number of knots per square meter matches the ratio and characteristics of the original carpet kept in the museum,” he said.
