The Late Chief Architect Mustafa Agha, Maktûl Mimarbaşı Mustafa Ağa

Abstract

Negative developments in 17th-century Ottoman political life caused damage to the empire’s administrative mechanisms. This situation paved the way for architects to increase their interest in politics and to participate in palace intrigue over time. The fact that the architects of the era are often mentioned in political games as opposed to their artistic interests also indicates the change in position of Ottoman architects. Architect Mustafa Agha was one of the most interesting historical figures of the age due to his relations with people such as Architect Kasım Agha and also Cinji Hodja Hüseyin Effendi, one of the main actors in the palace intrigue of the period, and his murder after gaining the enmity of Grand Vizier Fazıl Ahmed Pasha. This study determines the term this architect served in office, scrutinizes the date and cause of his death, and examines the structures built in Istanbul during his time as chief architect. The study is mainly based on Ottoman archive documents, qadi registries, and the works of Ottoman historians and has attempted to determine Mustafa Agha’s position within the framework of the relationship between art and politics in the 17th-century Ottoman architectural environment. © 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.