{"id":3205,"date":"2024-01-10T08:31:04","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T08:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/centuries-old-tombs-of-hagia-sophia-and-the-mysterious-tomb-of-enrico-dandolo\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T11:59:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T11:59:21","slug":"centuries-old-tombs-of-hagia-sophia-and-the-mysterious-tomb-of-enrico-dandolo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/centuries-old-tombs-of-hagia-sophia-and-the-mysterious-tomb-of-enrico-dandolo\/","title":{"rendered":"Centuries-Old Tombs of Hagia Sophia and the Mysterious Tomb of Enrico Dandolo"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><strong>The magnificent history of Hagia Sophia reflects not only the traces of thousands of years, but also the secrets it contains.  This sacred place carries a centuries-old mystery: the historical mausoleums in Hagia Sophia and especially the tomb of Enrico Dandolo, Duke of Venice.  For years, these tombs have remained hidden under the dust of time and contain many secrets.  The ongoing debate over the contents of Enrico Dandolo&#8217;s tomb has intrigued locals and historians alike for centuries.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hagia Sophia, whose history dates back thousands of years, has many extraordinary features beyond those known with its mysterious structure that still preserves its secrets.  One of these features is <strong>More than 140 dynastic tombs<\/strong> is to host.  Among these <strong>Tombs of five sultans<\/strong> There is also.  An interesting detail is that two of the sultans buried in Hagia Sophia date back to the period when the building was used as a church.<strong> \u201cbaptistery\u201d<\/strong>also <strong>Baptism boat of Jesus Christ<\/strong>and the reason for this choice still remains a mystery.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Secrets of the 1500-Year-Old Magnificent Building Hagia Sophia&#8221;<\/strong> For the article named <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/1500-yillik-muhtesem-yapi-ayasofyanin-sirlari\/\">CLICK!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ayasofyadaki-turbeler-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11411\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-osmanli-hanedanlarinin-turbeleri\"><strong>Tombs of Ottoman Dynasties<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>in the Ottoman period <strong>Hagia Sophia<\/strong>is not only a mosque but also the surrounding <strong>madrasahs, schools, foundations and soup kitchens<\/strong> It was an important symbol of the state along with other institutions such as.  The imams of Hagia Sophia had an important position in the Ottoman protocol.  One of the unknown aspects is the existence of four different mausoleums in the courtyard, which were built in the 16th and 17th centuries but have been closed for a long time.  These tombs are a <strong>\u201cdynastic cemetery\u201d<\/strong> It has added a different meaning to the courtyard.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the three sultans, many princes and sultans lie in the tombs in this courtyard.  Just beyond the tombs, there is a place where baptism ceremonies of newborn children were held when Hagia Sophia was a church. <strong>\u201cbaptistery\u201d<\/strong> There are.  Here, members of the dynasty such as Sultan Mustafa and Sultan Ibrahim, who were nicknamed &#8220;crazy&#8221;, took their final rest.<\/p>\n<p>Sultan II was buried for the first time in Hagia Sophia, which is the cultural heritage of the Ottoman Empire.  It was Selim.  Also III.  Murad, III.  Besides Mehmed, Mustafa I and Sultan Ibrahim <strong>Tombs of approximately 150 dynasty members<\/strong> is also located here.  II.  While Selim was the first sultan born in Istanbul, he was also the first sultan to die in Istanbul and was buried in Hagia Sophia.  These mausoleums have been undergoing an intensive restoration process in the last few years, after being closed for more than fifty years.<\/p>\n<p>In the garden of Hagia Sophia, there are three tombs for the sultans and one for the princes.  The number of these tombs reaches five, including the place that was later used as a baptistery and where two sultans were buried.  Here are the tombs in the courtyard of Hagia Sophia, which have been closed for a long time, and the numbers of the dynasty members buried there together with the sultans:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"787\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11431\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ayasofyadaki-turbeler1.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"787\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ayasofyadaki-turbeler1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11431\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The First Sultan Buried in Hagia Sophia: Tomb of Selim II<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>II, one of the important rulers of the Ottoman Empire.  Selim was one of the rare sultans who made great contributions to Hagia Sophia.  In 1573, he had the area around the Hagia Sophia Mosque cleared of buildings and strengthened the structure with buttresses.  He also added two minarets to Hagia Sophia and built a madrasah.<\/p>\n<p>While this construction process was continuing, he ordered the construction of his own tomb.  However, when the Sultan died in 1574, the construction of the tomb in the courtyard of Hagia Sophia had not yet been completed.  For this reason, the Sultan&#8217;s body was buried in the tent and transferred here when the construction of the tomb was completed in 1576.<\/p>\n<p>II.  Selim&#8217;s tomb, famous <strong>Mimar Sinan <\/strong>It was built by and inside not only the sultan but also his wife. <strong>Nurbanu Sultan, her daughters Gevherhan, \u0130smihan, Fatma Sultans and their princes S\u00fcleyman, Osman, Cihangir, Mustafa, Abdullah and III.  Murad&#8217;s<\/strong> Their children are also sleeping.  Today in the tomb <strong>total of 42 chests <\/strong>There are.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11413\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ikinci-Selim-Turbesi-1024x768.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ikinci-Selim-Turbesi-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11413\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tomb of Murad the Third<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>II.  His son III, who ascended the throne after Selim.  Hagia Sophia was chosen as Murad&#8217;s final resting place.  However, III.  Since Murad did not have a tomb, it was buried with him after his death in 1595. <strong>First of all, he went to the Hagia Sophia Mosque graveyard with his 19 princes.<\/strong> was buried.  Later III.  Under the instructions of Mehmed, the construction of the tomb was started by Chief Architect Davud Agha and it was completed in 1599. <strong>Dalg\u0131\u00e7 Ahmed A\u011fa<\/strong> Completed by.  This tomb is home to five princes. <strong>Tomb of the Prince <\/strong>was merged with.<\/p>\n<p>III.  In Murad&#8217;s tomb, not only Sultan Murad but also <strong>his wife Safiye Sultan, 20 sons and 23 daughters, III.  Mehmed&#8217;s two daughters and three princes, Ahmed I&#8217;s son Kas\u0131m, and Sultan \u0130brahim&#8217;s one son and two daughters.<\/strong> about <strong>54 people in total <\/strong>lies.  This tomb is located in the historical atmosphere of Hagia Sophia as the eternal resting place of important members of the Ottoman Dynasty.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11414\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ucuncu-Murad-Turbesi-1024x682.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ucuncu-Murad-Turbesi-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11414\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tomb of Mehmed the Third<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>III.  Mehmed is one of the Ottoman sultans who, like his ancestors, was buried in the mausoleum in the courtyard of Hagia Sophia.  After the death of the Sultan, by the order of his son Ahmed I. <strong>Chief Architect Dalg\u0131\u00e7 Ahmed A\u011fa<\/strong> The construction of the tomb was started in 1604 by Chief Architect <strong>Sedefkar Mehmed Agha<\/strong> It was completed in 1608.<\/p>\n<p>In this tomb, III.  Besides Mehmed and his wife <strong>Handan Sultan, III.  Murad&#8217;s daughters, Ahmed I&#8217;s daughters and princes<\/strong> lies.  In historical sources, in total <strong>mausoleum of 30 people<\/strong> It is stated that he was buried in and around it.  The tombs of Hagia Sophia are a monument that dates back to the depths of history by hosting members of the Ottoman Dynasty.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11415\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ucuncu-Mehmed-Turbesi-1024x768.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ucuncu-Mehmed-Turbesi-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11415\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tomb of the Princes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Although it is not known exactly how many princes were buried in this place, which was built in the courtyard of Hagia Sophia in the 16th century, it is thought that there are graves of an estimated five people.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11416\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Sehzadeler-Turbesi.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Sehzadeler-Turbesi.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11416\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Transformation from Baptistery to Tomb<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>An interesting story of the 17th century is that of Mustafa I.  Mustafa I, who was imprisoned in the palace for 15 years after his dethronement, died on January 20, 1639, as a result of an epileptic attack.  After his death, his body was kept on the musalla stone for 17 hours and then a place to bury him was searched.  Finally, <strong>Evliya \u00c7elebi<\/strong>Upon the suggestion of the palace jeweler Mehmed Z\u0131lli, the father of , the old Hagia Sophia was used with the soil brought from Hasbah\u00e7e. <strong>to the baptistery <\/strong>was buried.  At that time, the baptistery was used as a place to store lamp oils after Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque.  The burial of Mustafa I was a turning point in the Ottoman dynastic mausoleum tradition;  Because <strong>It was the first time that a separate tomb was not built for a sultan.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After Sultan \u0130brahim&#8217;s death in 1648, he was buried in Hagia Sophia next to his uncle Sultan Mustafa.  Since both sultans were remembered with psychological problems throughout their history, they were not buried in other sultan tombs.  However, according to Evliya \u00c7elebi, the tombs of the two sultans were frequently visited, especially by women.<\/p>\n<p>In this tomb, besides the two sultans, <strong>Prince Selim, son of Sultan \u0130brahim, IV.  Mehmed&#8217;s son, Prince Selim, II.  Ahmed&#8217;s son \u015eehzade \u0130brahim, Sultan Ahmed I&#8217;s daughters Hanzade Sultan and \u00c2tike Sultan and IV.  Murad&#8217;s daughter Kaya and \u0130smihan Sultan<\/strong> total including<strong> 18 dynasty members <\/strong>metf.  The historic baptistery of Hagia Sophia has witnessed changes over time as a monumental cemetery for the dynasty of the Ottoman Empire.<\/p>\n<p>The dynastic mausoleums and tombs in the courtyard and baptistery of Hagia Sophia are located in five different places in total, but the contents of more than 130 sarcophagi remain unclear and the secrets of these tombs have not been solved for four centuries.  The restorations, which are spread over a wide area and planned to be completed in the near future, will<strong> \u201cTurkish Death Culture\u201d <\/strong>will enable it to be converted into a museum.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"412\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11417\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Vaftizhane-ayasofya.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Vaftizhane-ayasofya.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11417\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>400-Year-Old Kaaba Cloths and Dresses Found in Sarcophagi<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The restoration works, which continued for many years in both the main building of Hagia Sophia and the tombs in the courtyard, brought to light a hidden treasure: <strong>Various Kaaba covers from shrines<\/strong>, <strong>Fabrics decorating the tomb of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in Medina <\/strong>And <strong>A series of dresses from the 17th century<\/strong> found.<\/p>\n<p>While removing the sarcophagi during the restoration process and replacing the worn fabric covers of the wooden sarcophagi, covers and dresses were discovered under the covers.  Years ago, after the covers of the Kaaba and the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) were replaced with new covers sent from Istanbul every year, the old covers were brought to Istanbul and stored in a special way, sometimes laid on the sarcophagi of important people.<\/p>\n<p>While the removal of the covers from the sarcophagi is based on this tradition, it is thought that the clothes found belong to the dynasty members buried in the graves under the sarcophagi.  These Kaaba covers and dresses will be exhibited in their locations after the restoration is completed.  These objects, which will be exhibited in the tombs, have great importance in Turkish textile history.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"578\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11419\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/ayasofyadaki-Kabe-Ortuleri-ve-Elbiseler1-1024x578.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/ayasofyadaki-Kabe-Ortuleri-ve-Elbiseler1-1024x578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11419\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tomb of Venetian Duke Enrico Dandolo<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the most curious subjects of Hagia Sophia is the Venetian Duke who was the commander during the 4th Crusade in 1204. <strong>Enrico Dandolo<\/strong>It was the place of his grave.  Dandolo misled the Crusaders into attacking Byzantium instead of Muslims, and occupied and plundered Istanbul.  According to some Byzantine sources, after the city was taken back, he was killed for revenge. <strong>Dandolo&#8217;s body was thrown into the sea <\/strong>is explained.  According to another rumor, his body was removed by the Janissaries on the orders of Mehmet the Conqueror and his crown was taken.<\/p>\n<p>Enrico Dandolo, Duke of Venice, commanded the 4th Crusade in 1204 and spent 57 years in Istanbul. <strong>Latin Invasion <\/strong>He is known as the architect of the process.  occurred in this process <strong>massacre and plunder,<\/strong> took place under his leadership.  His death took place in Istanbul in the first year of the occupation and he was buried in Hagia Sophia.<strong> Dandolo&#8217;s tomb was carved between two floors in the upper gallery of the building.<\/strong> has been made.<\/p>\n<p>However, historical records indicate that the tomb was opened and the bones were removed in 1261, when the occupation ended.  However, although the tomb was opened twice, after 1450 and in 1850, there is no record of whether the bones were inside the tomb.  The issue of whether Dandolo&#8217;s tomb in Hagia Sophia is empty or occupied has been a matter of debate for more than 750 years.  To this day, the general consensus is that the tomb is empty;  However, no scientific study has been carried out on this subject yet.  Therefore, there is no definitive information about the contents of the tomb.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11421\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Enrico-Dandolo-1.jpg\" data-lazy- title=\"\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Enrico-Dandolo-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11421\" style=\"width:820px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><strong>To join our WhatsApp group <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/GcUb561wzz44AcjKoMQHY6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CLICK!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h5>Share<\/h5>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The magnificent history of Hagia Sophia reflects not only the traces of thousands of years, but also the secrets it contains. This sacred place carries a centuries-old mystery: the historical mausoleums in Hagia Sophia and especially the tomb of Enrico Dandolo, Duke of Venice. For years, these tombs have remained hidden under the dust of &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[3276,3280,3279,3278,1365,2595,1661,3277],"class_list":["post-3205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genel","tag-centuriesold","tag-dandolo","tag-enrico","tag-hagia","tag-mysterious","tag-sophia","tag-tomb","tag-tombs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}