Osman Shah Mosque

Front view of the mosque

The Osman Shah Mosque (Greek: Τέμενος Οσμάν Σαχ) or Kursum Mosque (Κουρσούμ Τζαμί, from Turkish: kurşun camii, "Leaden Mosque") is a 16th-century Ottoman mosque in the city of Trikala in Greece.

The mosque was founded by Osman Shah, also known as Kara Osman Pasha. Osman was the son of one of Sultan Selim I's daughters, and for a long time dwelt in Trikala as the governor of the local province (Sanjak of Trikala).^[1][2] The exact dating of the mosque is uncertain, but it was probably built in the period 1550–60, most likely in the late 1550s.^[1][2] Osman attached several charitable establishments to the mosque, among others a madrasah, an alms house, and a caravanserai, and was himself buried in a türbe in the mosque's southern courtyard at the time of his death in 1567/8.^[1] By the time of Evliya Çelebi's visit a century later, the mosque was the principal mosque of the city.^[2]

The mosque itself was built by the renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, one of 79 throughout his career, and the only one surviving in modern Greece. It is also the only mosque still standing in the city of Trikala out of the at least eight that Evliya Çelebi reported seeing.^[1][2] The building itself consists of a square prayer hall topped by a large semi-spherical dome, and has a portico (revak) in front, which has recently been rebuilt from its ruined state. The minaret is located on the northwestern corner and is well preserved, except for its missing roof. All other buildings attached to the mosque have since vanished, except for the founder's octagonal türbe, which is used as a storage site for artefacts recovered from archaeological excavations.^[1]

References

1. Mantzana, Krystallo. "Κουρσούμ Τζαμί: Περιγραφή" (in Greek). Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
2. Yerolimpos, Alexandra (2000). "Tirḥāla". The Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume X: T–U. Leiden and New York: BRILL. pp. 539–540. ISBN 90-04-11211-1.

Coordinates: 39°33′00″N 21°46′16″E / 39.550106°N 21.771146°E