27.03.2013 18:45
The grave of Şah Sultan, daughter of Ottoman Sultan Selim I (Yavuz Sultan Selim), has been discovered after 400 years during restoration works in İstanbul's Fatih district last week.
The grave of Şah Sultan, daughter of Ottoman Sultan Selim I (Yavuz Sultan Selim), has been discovered after 400 years during restoration works in İstanbul's Fatih district last week.
The grave was discovered during restoration of the tomb of Ayşe Hafsa Sultan, the mother of Süleyman the Magnificent. After an examination by a team of experts, the grave was reported to be of Şah Sultan, the daughter of Yavuz Sultan Selim, who died in 1572. Yavuz Sultan Selim was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. His reign is notable for the expansion of the Empire, particularly his conquest between 1516-1517 of the entire Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, which included all of Sham, Hejaz, Tihamah, and Egypt itself.
Fatih Mayor Mustafa Demir told reporters that they will also start restoring the grave of Şah Sultan and they plan to finish it by the end of this year. "History books had told us the grave of Şah Sultan, who died 28 years after Ayşe Hafsa Sultan, was supposed to be very close to Ayşe Hafsa Sultan's grave, but we weren't able to determine its exact location. After it is restored, people will flock here to visit two prominent figures of Ottoman history," said Demir.
After experts come to an agreement that a historic building, monument or site needs restoration, a tender is initiated for the project. This tender evaluates the needs of the building or the site in relation to technicalities such as electricity, illumination and so on. An application is then made to the Supreme Council of Monuments to complete the restoration. The council examines the project and inspects the proposed site, in addition to obtaining expert reports relating to the proposal. If approved, implementation of the restoration project begins.
(Cihan/Today's Zaman)