27.05.2026 09:01
The Eid al-Adha prayer was performed with high participation at the 694-year-old historical Orhan Mosque in Kocaeli. As part of a tradition dating back to the Ottoman Empire, the Eid sermon was delivered using an approximately 100-year-old Ottoman ceremonial sword. The mosque's imam, Kenan Yılmaz, stated that Sultan Abdülmecid believed the mosque's air helped alleviate his discomfort and found healing there, which is why the royal lodge was built.
In the İzmit district of Kocaeli, the historical Orhan Mosque, built in 1332 as a symbol of the Ottoman conquest, hosted a crowded Eid al-Adha prayer. At the approximately 694-year-old mosque, the centuries-old tradition of the "sword sermon" continued this holiday as well.
The historical mosque, located on a hill overlooking the Gulf of İzmit and among the oldest Ottoman works in the region, was filled with worshippers on the holiday morning. After the holiday prayer where the congregation lined up, Kenan Yılmaz, the imam of İzmit Orhan Mosque, ascended the pulpit with an approximately 100-year-old Ottoman ceremonial sword and delivered the sermon.
"BUILT AS A SYMBOL OF CONQUEST"
Kenan Yılmaz stated that Orhan Mosque was built by Sultan Orhan's son, Gazi Süleyman Pasha, as a symbol of conquest.
Yılmaz said, "Our Orhan Mosque was constructed as a simple structure at the time of its building in the 1330s. It was built within the castle walls of the period, on the hill that still offers the widest view of İzmit today. Our mosque, with its scenery and spiritual atmosphere, continues to be a place that visitors leave truly satisfied and reluctantly."
"HEAVILY DAMAGED IN THE 1999 EARTHQUAKE"
Explaining that the mosque has undergone many repairs throughout history, Yılmaz said the greatest damage occurred in the 1999 Marmara Earthquake.
Yılmaz stated, "Our mosque was heavily damaged at that time and was closed for worship for 4 years. Worship continued in a field tent set up in the mosque garden. No work could be done for 3 years. Later, an accelerated restoration was carried out, but since it was not fully true to the original, it underwent a comprehensive restoration again between 2015 and 2017."
RENOVATED DURING THE REIGN OF SULTAN ABDÜLMECİD
Yılmaz stated that the mosque underwent a comprehensive restoration in 1843 and that many sections were added to the mosque during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid.
Yılmaz said, "The 4-columned wooden inner dome we are currently under, the women's gallery, and the sultan's loge were added to the mosque during that period. It is rumored that Sultan Abdülmecid had asthma and that the mosque's air was good for him. Therefore, the sultan's loge was built for him to stay during his visits."
"THE SWORD REPRESENTS JUSTICE AND STATE AUTHORITY"
Yılmaz, stating that reading Friday and holiday sermons with a sword at Orhan Mosque carries important meanings, emphasized that the tradition is not solely a symbol of conquest.
Yılmaz said, "The sword represents the conquests of Islam. However, these conquests are not for occupying a place; they are to bring the justice of Islam there. At the same time, it represents that there is a state system here, that no one can usurp another's rights, and that the authority to punish belongs only to the state."
Yılmaz noted that the ceremonial sword used is approximately 100 years old and stated that the historical sword was stolen in the past, but today they continue this tradition with a late Ottoman ceremonial sword.