Şıhlı Hamidiye Madrasa is an educational structure located in the Şıhlı Neighborhood of the Develi district, attached to Kayseri, and is considered one of the final period works of the Ottoman Empire. It was built during the reign of II. Abdülhamid Han by Kılınç Ali Hoca. The completion date of the construction is estimated to be 1893. The Sultan bestowed a sufficient sum (166,000 kuruş) from the imperial treasury allocations for the construction and completion of the madrasa. The madrasa was recorded in the Adana Provincial Yearbook of the period as "a perfect madrasa comprising multiple cells."
The date the madrasa was built, 1309 in the Hijri calendar (1891-92 AD), is located on the inscription crafted with Naskh script above the structure's main gate. The inscription praises the structure's founder, Sultan II. Abdülhamid Han, and states that he had the madrasa built as "a building of justice for scholars." The madrasa has also been called "Kılınçoğlu Madrasa" in some sources.
Hamidiye Madrasa (Develi Kaymakamlığı)
Architectural Features and Plan
Hamidiye Madrasa presents a rectangular plan, measuring 37x44 meters (also stated in sources as 50x40 meters from exterior to exterior).
- Courtyard and Porticos: At the center of the structure, there is an open-air, rectangular courtyard with a fountain pool in the middle. The courtyard floor is 35-40 cm lower than the portico corridor. The courtyard is surrounded by round-arched porticos resting on columns made of monolithic stone. The acanthus leaf carved on the keystones of the round portico arches and the door arch are decorations reflecting the Baroque influences of the period.
- Entrance and Portal: One enters the madrasa through a portal placed exactly in the middle of the north facade, which today remains slightly below road level. The portal is held twice as high as the north wall; the arch, arranged in the form of a five-fold border inward, is noteworthy. The door is round-arched, and an acanthus leaf is carved on its keystone.
- Spaces: From the madrasa door, one passes into a vault-covered hall, above which the "Professor's Room" is located. From this hall, one descends to the courtyard via nine steps.
- Cells: Behind the porticos surrounding the madrasa's courtyard, there are student rooms (cells) and other units. A. Rıza Yalkın, who saw the Madrasa in 1928, states that it had 24 student cells, one small mosque, and one lecture hall. In its 1932 sketch, a total of 27 cells were identified; one of these was specified as a toilet, one as an ablution facility, and one as a small mosque. The student cells are of the same character and open onto the porticoed courtyard with a door and a window. According to the Yearbook of Education records in 1900, it is stated that 50 students were educated in the madrasa.
- Professor's Room: From within the courtyard, one ascends via the stairs on the east and west to the "Professor's Room" located above the entrance hall. This room, which has an iwan-shaped entrance, is a single-spaced cell on a rectangular plan and is equipped with a door and windows.
- Material and Covering: Cut stone and rubble stone were used together in the construction of the madrasa. The columns carrying the portico arches are made of monolithic stone. The upper covering, originally earth on wooden beams, was seen in 1972 photographs as covered with a pitched roof and Marseille-type tiles. Today, however, the upper covering is reinforced concrete over wooden beams.
History and Restorations
Hamidiye Madrasa, after continuing the educational activities that were its founding purpose, was used as a primary school for a time. The madrasa was repaired in 1932 and 1989. Its restoration was carried out by the General Directorate of Foundations in 1988. The structure was restored again in 2006 by the General Directorate of Foundations. The madrasa, by having been built in a remote town under the economic conditions of the II. Abdülhamid period, constitutes an example of the efforts to spread education to the provinces.
Hamidiye Madrasa (Develi Kaymakamlığı)
