Sultan’s Lodge (Hünkâr Mahfili)
The Private Royal Prayer Gallery of Hagia Sophia
The Sultan’s Lodge, known in Turkish as the Hünkâr Mahfili, is the elevated and screened gallery from which Ottoman sultans attended prayers in Hagia Sophia while remaining partially hidden from public view.
Location
The lodge is attached to the upper galleries on the northwest side of Hagia Sophia. It is connected to the exterior by a covered passage that once allowed the sultan to enter directly from the palace area without passing through the main courtyard.
From Imperial Gallery to Sultan’s Lodge
After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque and new spaces were created for the Ottoman court. The Sultan’s Lodge took shape in the 16th and 17th centuries, with major refurbishments under Sultan Mahmud I in the 18th century, when the library and new royal apartments were added.
Architectural Features
- Delicately carved marble balustrades separating the lodge from the main nave
- Wooden screens and latticework providing privacy while allowing a view of the mihrab
- Richly decorated ceiling panels with Ottoman floral and calligraphic motifs
- Direct visual axis toward the mihrab and minbar
- Connection to the Sultan’s private ablution and rest rooms