The Foundation tradition is the gift of Islamic civilization to humanity. Our ancestors have been entrusted with this holy relic and given good service through foundations. The Turkish Religious Foundation was established in 13 March 1975, as a continuation of the centuries-long link of kindness in our society. With the aim of conveying religious services to larger masses and raising a generation that would be involved in religious services, this blessed route has grown; reaching seven continents with the strong support of our nation, the sincere efforts of our endowment and the people who set their hearts on our endowment, and has became an immense civil society movement that serves efficiently around the world. The Turkish Religious Foundation, which has been firmly trusted by our nation since the day of its establishment, has been the most robust link of the foundation tradition with the activities it has conducted to date. The Turkish Religious Foundation continues its activities, ranging from education to culture, from social and auspicious services to activities supporting religious services and international relief efforts regardless of religion, language, ethnicity, color and gender with its 1,000 branches within Turkey and in 135 other countries, internationally.
Republic of Turkey PRESIDENCY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS Education is Our Priority
Vision of Education That Shapes the Future We are aware that an educated, hard-working, and skilled generation who adopt the principle of following the wisdom will enable the domination of kindness in the world and carry it forward. In this process of walking towards the goal of a fully cultivated generation, our greatest hope is our school-age children and youth. They are the messengers of our bright future, a sure, consistent, happy, and serene future. The road to thoroughly prepare our children and youth for the future runs through being able to provide them with a quality education. As the Turkish Religious Foundation, with the awareness that the investment for education is investment for the future, we value our work in the field of education, and we work to cultivate generations filled with love for their homeland, ummah, and religion. Today, the Turkish Religious Foundation is working to cultivate generations fully aware of our ancient civilization, caring deeply for our ummah, with high self-esteem, and specialized in their field. Within the scope of our actions for education, we establish higher education student dormitories, student housing, colleges and universities; we build bridges of affection between nations by providing an educational opportunity to students from 110 different countries world-wide in International Imam Hatip High Schools, international student and international Theology programs and educational institutions abroad. Our foundation still provides educational service to students in international student programs, 29 Mayıs University, student dormitories, student housing, Bornova College, and educational institutions abroad.
We Build the Future Through Education Building a healthy society in which we can all live in serenity and peace is among the important duties of individuals, society, and government. It goes without saying that one of the basic rules of establishing a healthy society is to cultivate the young people, future adults, in a healthy way, in all aspects. Each and every individual and institution with a sense of responsibility, primarily mothers, fathers and educators, should exert themselves to raise young people who are dedicated to themselves, their families, to the environment,
homeland, nation, and values, who are at peace with their inner world, and who are useful to their society and country, and finally to humanity. In our world, in which the values and life styles
of humanity have been ongoing for centuries in terms of physical boundaries and distances, are changing fast due to technology and means of communication, corporate responsibility, particularly in the field of education, is gaining importance every day. The Turkish Religious Foundation, giving great importance to raising generations useful to humanity, have always considered that
contributing to every aspect of educational services is an indispensable duty. Our foundation, which started to work in the field of education right after its establishment, has played important roles in the cultivation of future generations and produced useful projects for humanity. Our foundation continues to work inhe field of education both in our country and abroad to prepare our youth for the future.
Mosque services Foundation culture, which has an important place in Islamic civilization, has led the way in building and maintaining mosques, reaching its peak particularly during the Seljuk and Ottoman eras. The Turkish Religious Foundation, a robust link in the tradition of foundations today, has been carrying on this blessed tradition with the mosques and educational buildings built both in the country and abroad since the day it was established. Following the completion of the Ankara Kocatepe Mosque and its dedication to the service of our nation, our foundation has
built 3,603 mosques, 419 small mosques and five educational centers in our country. Furthermore, 2,582 Quran courses have been established. Overseas, more than a hundred mosques and
educational buildings have been built in 25 countries. Our foundation still has a total of 15 mosque projects, including five mosque constructions in five countries and the allocation and planning operations for ten mosques in nine countries. The construction of 14 mosques in nine cities, and the allocation and planning operations for 23 mosques in 13 cities is still ongoing in Turkey.
Bâb-ı âli known as “Sublime Porte”, “High Porte” or “Ottoman Porte” was the residence of the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister of Ottoman Empire). As the concept developed in time the residence was also called as “Pasha Gate” or “Bâb-ı Âsafi”. After the “Alemdar Incident” it was rebuilt and began to be called as “Bâb-ı Adl” or “Bâb-ı Adli” referring to the ruling monarch of the period, Sultan Mahmud, who was also known as “Mahmud-ı Adli”. In earlier times of the empire state affairs are being discussed in “Divan-ı Hümâyun” equalled to the cabinet of the time were the viziers met four days a week at the palace of sultan. Additionally an “Afternoon Divan” was convened in the residence of the Grand Vizier once a week. In the last two centuries of the empire with the change of the governing processes thev Afternoon Divans of the Grand Vizier took over the discussion of state affairs totally and a new meeting system was established. The registries, books and records of the “Divan-ı Hümâyun” were transferred to the Bâb-ı âli. Reisülküttap (meaning “chief of the scribes”; the president of bureaucrats or head clerk and later the minister of foreign affairs), the registries of the Divan, “Çavuşbası” (the chief usher of the palace) and his office and subordinates, “Teşrifatçıbaşı” (master of ceremonies) and others were all moved to Bâb-ı âli. Together with Kethüda (chamberlain) and Mektupçu (Chief Secretary) which were the subordinates of the Grand Vizier they were called as “Hademe-i Bâb-ı âli” (Servants of Bâb-ı âli). Al Bâb-ı Âli is the Symbol Of the Legacy
The councils established after “Tanzimat” (political reforms in 1839) have played an
important role in the organization of Bâb-ı âli.
These supreme councils called as “Meclis-i
Vâla-yı Ahkâm-ı Adliye” and “Dar-ı Şûra-yı
Bâb-ı âli” brought a new dimension to the
Ottoman bureaucracy.
The residences of the Grand Viziers
were in different locations but all
were located in the district called
Cağaloğlu, in the neighbourhood
of the palace. In the History of
Naima (Ottoman official historian
of the 17th century) it is noted that
Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Efendi,
the Grand Vizier during the period
of Sultan İbrahim I, had his palace
in the current location of Bâb-ı âli
and the clerks convened at this
place. But this site was inaugurated
officially as Bâb-ı âli in 1756 by Sultan Osman
III. Afterwards it became the residence of all
Grand Viziers and the actual government
centre of the Empire. After the fire in 1839
the building was rebuilt and used only as a
government office and not as the residence
of the Grand Vizier anymore.
Bâb-ı âli has experienced six conflagrations.
All were major conflagrations of Istanbul and
the wooden buildings of Istanbul are easily
being burned down. But it is also important
that most of these conflagrations were
started by revolting janissaries (regular army
of the Empire) by burning the residence of
the Grand Vizier who was held responsible
for the deterioration of the government.
These buildings were burned down and rebuilt
again several times. The remaining buildings
are the ones architected by Stefan Kalfa
with unornamented façades in Empire Style.
Opposite to the “Alay Köşkü” (regimental
headquarters) which represents the power of
the palace, the Bâb-ı âli gate with its image
of an arch of triumph with the eaves, fringes
and fountains in baroque style is the symbol
of the executive power, but also as levelled
below Alay Köşkü it also shows the hierarchy
in architectural way. Bâb-ı âli is the first
public building in the Ottoman Empire.
73 Turkey’s Here-Nisan 2017
The new Bâb-ı âli building architected
by Stefan Kalfa was different from its
predecessors with its storey floorings and
more important by being built with stones
and bricks. Although it’s modified and rebuilt
partly the original outline of the architecture
still remains. But the inner structure is
protected only in “Sadaret Dairesi” (Office
of the Grand Vizier) which serves as the
Governor’s Office today. The original
building was composed of three anterooms
surrounded by office rooms connected in the
northwest -southeast direction. The complex
was 220 metres in length and the middle
part was higher than both ends. The lower
end at northwest was the Office of the Grand
Vizier and the other end at southeast was the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The higher middle
part between them was reserved for the
offices of “Şura-yı Devlet” (Supreme Court).
Although the new Bâb-ı âli was different
from its predecessor in architectural terms
the main principles of the new government
centre were linked closely with the traditional
approach. For example since the classical
times the financial and civil administrations
were autonomous and separate with their
massive bureaucratic forces. This formation
is the evidence of a former existence of the
principle of separation of powers.
The new Bâb-ı âli constructed in 1844 was a
change of place and also a change in function
concurrently. Afterwards the Topkapı Palace
lost its significance and remained as an
endorsement authority only. Therefore the
gate opposite of the “Alay Köşkü” lost its
importance and the south gate facing the
Ankara Street near the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs came into prominence. Bâb-ı âli
became the definition of the government of
the Ottoman Empire. While the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs gained importance the newshungry
journalists began to settle down in the
neighbourhood and the Bâb-ı âli concept as
the headquarters of Turkish Press was born.
In the following years two other buildings was
constructed besides the above mentioned
main unit. One is the archive building of
the Ministry of Records (Hazine-i Evrak
Nezareti) architected by the Swiss-Italian
architect Gaspar Fossati. The walls of the
Fossati’s building was constructed with
bricks but the storey floorings, stairs
and the features of windows and doors
were made of cast iron manufactured in
Istanbul Shipyard. This building is one of
the rare examples of Terrazzo Style in
Turkey.
The second building inside the Bâb-ı âli
site is another small archive building from
1910 built in the 1. National Architecture
Style. The main Bâb-ı âli building had
been damaged two times in major
conflagrations after its construction in
1844. In the first conflagration the middle
part with the offices of the Supreme Court
and a part of the southeast wing was
damaged and renovated quickly afterwards.
In the second conflagration the middle part
of the building was burnt down completely
and removed as it couldn’t be restored
again. Thus remained there two independent
buildings. This separation of the buildings
disrupted the architecture representing the
bureaucratic organization of Bâb-ı âli like
Dolmabahçe Palace’s architecture which
is vibrant but also expressing massive and
functional integrity.
With the Republic the old Office of the Grand
Vizier became the Governor’s Office, the
façade ornaments in neoclassical style were
removed and the façade was simply plastered.
The Governor’s Office was renovated twice in
the late 1980’s and in 1997 in order to regain
the original appearance of the building.
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