Ramazanoğlu Hall
Encyclopedia
Ramazanoğlu Hall is the old government residence of the Ramadanids located in Adana
. Currently used as a cultural center, it is one of the oldest samples of a mansion in Turkey
. Located southeast of the Ulu Camii, it was the Haremlik of the Ramadanid family and besides being a fine expression of modesty of the emirate, it is also an important work resembling the Mamluk
mansions of Egypt
.
year 900 (April, 1495). Nevertheless this date shall not represent the completion date of the entire building. The section completed in 1495 was an attachment to another structure on the north side which was built earlier. Next to the Haremlik, there used to stand the Selamlık
, where the government offices were located. Selamlık was demolished by time and the only remains today are the section with the dome and the section thought to be the hamam
.
During the Ottoman Era
, the hall served as a residence for number of sultan
s visiting Adana, including Suleiman the Magnificent
and Selim I
.
The hall had an extensive renovation in 1983. At the earthquake in 1998
, the building had seen damages and was restored by the General Directorate of the Foundations thereafter. The operation of the hall is then given to Çukurova University
to be converted into a cultural center and on June 3, 2009, the hall opened to the public currently hosting conferences, meetings and concerts.
of the mansion with spiral stairs going up.
The mezzanine floor is made up of a kitchen, two rooms and hallway in between. On the upper floor, there is the bathing cubicle west of the landing and a large bedroom at the south end. There are no ornaments in the mansion except a verse of the Koran on the west wall of the west large room, "Küllema dahele aleyha Zekerriyya'l-mihrabe", which is often seen on the mihrab
s. The calligraphy, which was removed in the last restoration, indicates that this room was used as the masjid of the hall.
Adana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
. Currently used as a cultural center, it is one of the oldest samples of a mansion in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Located southeast of the Ulu Camii, it was the Haremlik of the Ramadanid family and besides being a fine expression of modesty of the emirate, it is also an important work resembling the Mamluk
Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)
The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt was the final independent Egyptian state prior to the establishment of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in 1805. It lasted from the overthrow of the Ayyubid Dynasty until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. The sultanate's ruling caste was composed of Mamluks, Arabised...
mansions of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
History
According to the inscription on the south gate, Haremlik was completed by Halil Bey in the month of Sha'abanSha'aban
Sha'aban is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar.This is the month of ‘separation’, so called because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water...
year 900 (April, 1495). Nevertheless this date shall not represent the completion date of the entire building. The section completed in 1495 was an attachment to another structure on the north side which was built earlier. Next to the Haremlik, there used to stand the Selamlık
Selamlik
The selamlik is the portion of a Turkish palace or house reserved for men; as contrasted with the seraglio, which is reserved for women and forbidden to men.-See also:*Oda *Odalisque...
, where the government offices were located. Selamlık was demolished by time and the only remains today are the section with the dome and the section thought to be the hamam
Hamam
Hamam may refer to:* Turkish bath in Turkish* Hamam , a 1997 European film directed by Ferzan Özpetek* Hamam , brand of soap in India* Sam Hammam , Lebanese businessman and football club owner...
.
During the Ottoman Era
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, the hall served as a residence for number of sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
s visiting Adana, including Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
and Selim I
Selim I
Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain , nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" , was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to...
.
The hall had an extensive renovation in 1983. At the earthquake in 1998
1998 Adana-Ceyhan earthquake
The 1998 Adana-Ceyhan earthquake, aka 1998 Adana earthquake, was an approximately 6.2 magnitude. earthquake that struck southern Turkey, historically known as Cilicia, on June 27, 1998, at about 16:55 local time....
, the building had seen damages and was restored by the General Directorate of the Foundations thereafter. The operation of the hall is then given to Çukurova University
Çukurova University
Çukurova University has eleven faculties, three colleges, seven vocational colleges, three institutes and twenty six research and application centers...
to be converted into a cultural center and on June 3, 2009, the hall opened to the public currently hosting conferences, meetings and concerts.
Architecture
Ramazanoğlu Hall has a modest appearance with its architecture built of hewn stone on the lower level and brick on the upper. It is a 3-story building in a rectangular shape (16x10.5m), made up of ground floor, mezzanine and an upper floor. The building also includes a courtyard placed to the east end of the L shaped ground floor plan. On the south section of the ground floor, there is the stony place which leads to the stairs to the upper floors and two rooms on both sides of the stony place. The hallway is in the middle and on the north section, there is the groin vault room and a door opening to a cradle vault corridor. This north section was most likely the SelamlıkSelamlik
The selamlik is the portion of a Turkish palace or house reserved for men; as contrasted with the seraglio, which is reserved for women and forbidden to men.-See also:*Oda *Odalisque...
of the mansion with spiral stairs going up.
The mezzanine floor is made up of a kitchen, two rooms and hallway in between. On the upper floor, there is the bathing cubicle west of the landing and a large bedroom at the south end. There are no ornaments in the mansion except a verse of the Koran on the west wall of the west large room, "Küllema dahele aleyha Zekerriyya'l-mihrabe", which is often seen on the mihrab
Mihrab
A mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...
s. The calligraphy, which was removed in the last restoration, indicates that this room was used as the masjid of the hall.