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Unusually modest in size Shah Sultan Mosque in Istanbul is located in Eyup, on the shores of the Golden Horn. The Shah Sultan Mosque was erected by the architect Mimar Sinan in 1556, shortly before the death of the Sultana.
Few facts of history about Shah Sultan
Shah Sultan - the daughter of Sultan Selim I and his wife Aishe Hafse Sultan was born in 1499. At the age of twenty-four, Shah Sultan was married to Lutfi Pasha, but scandalously divorced him after eighteen years. The reason for the divorce was the beatings and insults inflicted on his wife, Lutfi Pasha, at the time of a family dispute over a draft law on adultery, which would provide for severe "surgical punishment" for lascivious women. Shah Sultan lived until 1572, having outlived the famous Khyurrem Sultan, who was at odds with her, by as much as fourteen years.
According to various studies carried out in 2016, the graves of Shah Sultan and Aishe Hafse Sultan were found in a burial in the courtyard of the Yavuz Sultan Selim mosque.
About Shah Sultan Mosque
The small-sized structure of the Shah Sultan Mosque was erected fifty meters from the Golden Horn Bay. This territory was bought by the Shah Sultan, probably for laying not only a mosque, but also mausoleums for his family, however, time ordered otherwise.
The rectangular building of the mosque (16m * 13m) was built of natural stone, tied with red baked clay tiles. Inside the mosque, the prayer department is almost square (11m * 10m). 
After a series of earthquakes, of which the most destructive one happened in 1766, the mosque was repeatedly restored. In the twentieth century, renovations were done four times, and the last one in 2005. Therefore, most of the trim elements that were previously made of wood were replaced with marble or iron ones. Moreover, as part of the latest reconstruction of the mosque, the roof was completely replaced, replacing the wooden floors with reinforced concrete ones, and the tiles were re-piled. The only minaret of the mosque is low and devoid of any decorations.
Of course, the Shah Sultan Cami Mosque - such a mundane architecture, completely devoid of a flight of fantasy of the great master Sinan, somewhat surprises tourists. Apparently, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who ordered the construction, had some good reason. Visit Shah Sultan Mosque in Istanbul it is reasonable to combine with a walk to the romantic cafe Pierre Lotti, which is located very close.
But she worked on the image of her skittish heroine for a very long time.
A bit of history and serial life
There is more information about Shah Sultan, the daughter of Aisha Hafsa Sultan and the great Selim I, in contrast to her sisters. There is an opinion that a concubine gave birth to a girl, but judging by the fact that she was buried in close proximity to Aisha Hafsa Sultan, one should not consider the conversations regarding the concubine's mother. The girl was called Shah-i-Khuban, also Shakhhuban. The prefix "Huban" denotes the presence of a yellow or whitish shade of hair. Her name in translation means "Bright Lady". But if we move on to the image of the girl in the series, then the actress Deniz Chakyr is dark-haired.
In 1509, the beautiful Shah Sultan was born in Manisa. At the same time, there is a version that her brother was in the same city. Thanks to the religious man - Merkez Efendi, the girl receives a good education in Manisa. Merkez helped to cope with the illness of the Sultan's wife, after which he received a high post.
When Shah turns fourteen, she marries Lufti Pasha, who at that time was thirty-five years old. He was appointed grand vizier in 1539 after this post was vacated by Ayaz, who was taken to the next world by a terrible disease. Father - Sultan Selim Yavuz, wanted this marriage, since it was beneficial to him. Shah Sultan gives birth to her husband two daughters - Neslishah (Nazlyshah is cited in other sources) and Esmahan. But in the series, we do not know anything about the Neslishes, since in question only about the birth of one daughter - Esmahan Sultan.
Being married, Shah Sultan openly showed that she did not feel anything towards her husband, did not consider it necessary to let her near her soul. But, as for his post as Grand Vizier, she was able to help him, helping to ensure that his predecessor quickly vacated his post. The series reveals to us a picture of the relationship between Shahhuban and Ibrahim. But the guy could not claim to be a husband, since he did not hold the proper rank, he was a simple falconer.
War of two beasts
Nothing is known from the historical data regarding the relationship between Shah Sultan and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. But we can assume that the writers know better, so you can judge about their relationship from the series. They constantly intrigued each other, although Shah always behaved in public in such a way that she was an angel. It was necessary to veil all the dirty tricks, so Shah did everything to lull the vigilance of the red-haired fury. Hatred of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska increased manifold after the death of Ibrahim was reported. Having enlisted the support of Makhidevran and Khadija, the woman opened a real war on Khyurrem.
The fatal mistake of the husband
As soon as Lufti Pasha felt the power, he began to establish his own order in the city. His cruelty knew no bounds when he brutally punished a woman of easy virtue. He gave the order, without a court order, to burn this woman's genitals. She died a painful death.
The wife of an imperious husband, Shah Sultan, could not contain her anger, and he, in turn, beat her. But the man completely forgot that the representatives of the Ottoman dynasty were not allowed to be beaten. Shah Sultan received approval for divorce. After a while, Lufty received his resignation and was exiled to the east of Greece - to Dimetoku. She agreed with the ruler to save his life only for the sake of her daughter, who did not want to deprive her father. When the Shah became free and was considered a wealthy Turkish aristocrat, she took up charity work.
In 1572 Shah Sultan died in Istanbul. She talked about wanting to see her grave next to her mother. And this woman wanted what she wanted at any cost. In March 2013, the grave of Aishe Hafa Sultan was restored, the burial of Shah Sultan was discovered.
The character of the heroine Deniz Chakyr
Shah Sultan is an unapproachable woman. She is very calculating, prefers to observe everyone in the harem from the sidelines, and then analyzes everything that she can learn. Behind the external calmness hides a vulnerable soul, which she closed from everyone under blocks of ice. He tries not to get attached to anyone in order to be invulnerable. In any intrigue, she is accompanied by success. She is straightforward enough, cunning, smart, cold-blooded. But having made the slightest mistake in their calculations, with regards to the destruction of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, he suffers a fiasco.
Why is Shah Sultan such a bitch?
Everything goes with early childhood... She did not see love and affection from her parents. Her first husband is not her choice, so try strong feeling love she never succeeded. As a result, her heart turned to stone. She is looking for salvation in her title and then disappointments await her. Only Merjan-age serves her faithfully. He is her faithful slave, who was always there and loyally cared for. When the Shah was leaving the capital, Merjan begged her to take him with her, but the sultana did not. The thing is that Mercan was the main aga in the harem, so he had to stay in Istanbul.
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The homeland of Shah Sultan is Manis. In this city, Shah Sultan was born and raised. In 1523 he married her. In a marriage with Lutfi Pasha, Shah Sultan had two daughters - Esmahan and Nazlishah. After the Great Vizier Ayaz died at the height of the epidemic in 1539, Sultan Seleiman I called Shah Sultan's husband to court.
On July 13, 1539, Lufty Pasha was officially appointed Grand Vizier. Pasha held this position until his divorce from Shah Sultan in 1541. Shah Sultan's husband was not distinguished by marital fidelity, as they said, he even allowed himself to raise his hand against the daughter of the Ottomans. Ultimately, Shah Sultan decides to divorce her husband, in 1541 she becomes free from marriage obligations, and her husband loses the post of Grand Vizier. Lufti Pasha was exiled to Dimetoku.
Despite the difficult relations of the spouses Lutfi Pasha, they saved their lives, this was facilitated by his pilgrimage to the holy places of Mecca and Medina, when he returned, he began to lead a righteous life, which he devoted to charity. A former relative of Sultan Suleiman died his own death in 1564.
Shah Sultan did not forgive her husband for betrayal, but did not remarry, she also devoted her life to good deeds, died in 1572. The Shah Sultan Mosque in Istanbul is named after her, built by the architect Mimar Sinan.
In 1556, under the leadership of the architect Mimar Sinan, a mosque was built in honor of Shah Sultan. In 1572, Shah Sultan died.
In the series, Shah Khuban Sultan plays the role.
Burial site of Shah Khuban Sultan was discovered
During the restoration of the tomb of Aishe Sultan, the burial place of Shah Sultan was discovered. This was stated by Assistant to the Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Arinc. The news of the discovery of the grave of Shah Sultan was made public at the celebrations held at the Yavuz mosque in honor of the anniversary of the death of Aishe Hafza Sultan. Assistant to the Prime Minister assured that the discovered tomb of Shah Sultan will also be restored. Recall that Shah Sultan - the daughter of Yavuz Sultan Selim and Aishe Hafza Sultan and the sister of the great Qanuni Sultan Suleiman - died in 1572.Suleiman had many sisters. And Shah Sultan was one of his favorites.
There are two versions of her date of birth. One by one, she was born in 1494, by the second year of her birth 1509. The last date turned out to be more widespread, so she was entrenched.
Many believe that Shah Sultan and Suleiman are half-siblings. As we were shown in the TV series The Magnificent Century, perhaps Aishe Hawsa Sultan was not her mother at all. Because Selim had two wives named Aishe. And some sources are inclined to believe that Shah was born from Selim's concubine, who was also called Aishe.
The full name of the sultana is Shah Khuban. It is also called Shah-i Khuban. And her Turkish name in Russian means - Bright Lady. And Huban points out that her hair was very light - yellow or white. Which is not at all typical for Turkish girls.
Princess Shah was born in Manisa. And she spent all her childhood there, together with her mother. Merkez Efendi was involved in her upbringing and education. He was able to teach her a lot. He instilled love for Allah, because he himself was very pious. Sultan Selim appreciated him and awarded him with an appointment to a high post when he saved his beloved wife Aishe from illness.
As soon as the girl was 14 years old, Selim decides to marry her to Lutfi Pasha, who was then about 30-35 years old. This was a marriage of convenience and was beneficial for the Sultan, so this age difference did not bother him at all. Even in those days, such marriages were the norm.
Shah Sultan did not love her husband
The life of the Ottoman princesses was not so fabulous and sweet. And all because they had one destiny - to marry an unloved one. And these marriages were political, that is, they were concluded for the sake of state benefits. And there could be no question of love.
So Shah Sultan was married to an unloved person, like the rest of her sisters. If the quiet Beikhan somehow managed to come to terms with her position and live peacefully with her husband. Then the Shah Sultan, who differed from her sister in her stubbornness, could not accept her fate. She was cold to her husband.
After the wedding, the young Shah Sultan, together with her husband, left Manisa to live in another city. Lutyi Pasha in a new place receives a new appointment to a high post.
In this marriage, Shah-Khuban gave birth to two daughters - Esmekhan Baharnaz Sultan and Neslihan Sultan. She did not let her husband come to her anymore.
In 1539, when the Grand Vizier Ayaz Pasha died during an epidemic, Sultan Suleiman summoned her husband, Lutfi Pasha, to the Topkapi Palace. Then the Shah Sultan herself was able to move to the capital. Her husband became a member of the Sultan's council. And despite her dislike for her husband, Shah helped him move up the career ladder.
On July 13, 1539, Lutfi Pasha officially became the Grand Vizier. But despite all his efforts and hard work, he did not hold out in this position for long. Only 1 year and 9 months.
They say that Lutfi Pasha was a rather cruel vizier. And in his irrepressible impulses, he did many terrible things that the mistress could not stand.
If the rumors are to be believed, then it was an egregious case that the vizier terribly mocked a woman of easy virtue who died in agony. Shah decided to talk to her husband about it. But he did not listen to her and even raised his hand to her, which was the last straw of her patience. Shah complained to her brother Sultan Suleiman and her marriage was dissolved. In 1541, the Shah Sultan divorced Lutfi Pasha. After which he was removed from the post of chief vizier and sent to Dimetoku. They saved his life for the sake of his daughters.
Shah Sultan was glad that she was able to break the bond with her husband. She firmly decided for herself that it was better to be lonely than the wife of an unloved Pasha.
In 1556, the architect Mimar Sinan built the Shah Sultan Mosque in Istanbul.
Shah Khuban died in 1572. She asked to be buried next to her mother. But no one knew where she was buried for a long time. And only 400 years later, in 2013, her grave was found in Fatiha, next to the Yavuz Selim mosque. Before that, everyone believed that she was buried in the tomb of Aisha Hafsa Sultan.
In the series, the creators hint that Shah was very jealous of her sister Hatice all the time. It is likely that this was also in real life... After all, most likely, their mothers are different. And as you know, the mother of Hatice, Aishe Hawsa Sultan was the beloved wife of Sultan Selim. And she entered the harem as a mistress, and the second Aishe was already a slave. Perhaps it was this that played a big role in the fact that Hatice was more surrounded by care and love than Shah Sultan. But this is just my guess.
That's the whole true and short story about Shah Sultan. And if it were not for the TV series The Magnificent Century, then we would never have known this woman. The role of Shah-Khuban in this series was wonderfully played by Deniz Chakyr.
Shah Khuban in the TV series The Magnificent Century
Our first meeting with Shah Sultan takes place in the third season of the Magnificent Century series.
When Valide Sultan dies, Hatice is left alone without the support of her mother. She calls her sister to Istanbul to cope with the hated Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska with her. But the two sisters were unable to defeat the rival. And only after the death of Ibrahim Pasha, they still manage to get rid of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska for a while. After that, Hatice commits suicide, and Mihrimah Sultan forces the Shah Sultan to leave the capital in a short time.
The image and character of Shah Sultan in the series
Shah Khuban is an impregnable, cold and calculating sultana. She is very observant. Keeps a close eye on all the events in the harem. He immediately takes control of everything and does not release him. Outwardly, she is calm and at the same time skillfully dominates people. Looks like the snow queen with an icy heart, with a penetrating and glowing gaze. She is not touched by ordinary human weaknesses. It is difficult to drive her into a dead end, because the Shah Sultan is able to find a way out of any situation.
Unprincipled and successful in intrigue. She knows how to turn the situation in her favor. She cannot be hurt because she has no attachment to anyone. The insidiousness and hypocrisy of her features. But no matter how she tried to destroy Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, her intrigues sometimes came out sideways for her. Because Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was also very cunning and even the complex strategies of the Shah Sultan could not drive her into a corner.
Shah is a true mistress, who perfectly understands her position. Arrogant and does not recognize anyone in whose veins the Sultan's blood does not flow. Likes to put everyone in their place, constantly emphasizing their title. Even her husband was reminded daily that she was a member of the Ottoman dynasty. This eventually bothers Lutfi Pasha. They quarrel and the sultana divorces him.
But despite all his outward composure, Shah is not so insensitive. In childhood, deprived of parental love and affection, early married to an unloved Pasha, the mistress simply closed herself into herself. Her heart turned to stone and hardened. The humane and merciful Shah is hidden behind the mask of greatness and arrogance. At the request of her daughters Esmahan, she asks to pardon Lutfi Pasha. And how warmly she treats her faithful servant Merjan-age once again confirms that she is not such a snow queen.
Family bonds
Shah respects Suleiman very much and treats him with respect. She loves her brother the Sultan, she will not reread him. But he also does not miss the opportunity to use it in his games against Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. And Suleiman himself treats his sister well and therefore fulfilled her request regarding the former Grand Vizier Lutfi Pasha.
Relations with sisters are somewhat different. She clearly envies Hatice, who has been surrounded by love and care since childhood. Shah herself confessed to Beykhan that she had always dreamed of the life that Khatija lived. And as soon as the Shah arrives in the capital, she begins to quickly catch up. He settles in the palace, which used to belong to Khatija and Ibrahim, and changes the furniture and interior there for himself. Along the way, he helps his spouse to become the Grand Vizier. Becomes the Sultan's closest sister, which was once Hatice. In general, she took into her hands everything that once belonged to her sister.
In the past, Shah sympathized with Ibrahim, this also becomes a stumbling block for the two sisters. Shah refuses to help Hatice in the fight against Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, accusing her of weakness and inability to cope with her even earlier.
Between the sisters, at the very beginning, there is a rather strained relationship. They unite only in order to eliminate Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. An alliance of two sultans is concluded between them, but not two sisters. Shah could never understand that depth of love feelings, that unbearable pain of Hatice, unlike Beykhan. By the way, her relationship with Beikhan also does not work out very well. Beykhan sees Shah through and does not hide it. With her sisters, she does not have any tenderness and warm relations that sisters should have.
Talking about nephews, it is worth noting that Shah singles out Mustafa, the son of Mahidevran, among all the shehzade. She has no obvious disdain for her other nephews. She warmly communicates with the children of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. But they consider Shehzade Mustafa the rightful heir to the throne. Just like Makhidevran, she often emphasizes the status of the first son of Suleiman in conversations with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Mustafa even unwittingly became a key figure in her intrigue against Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Thus, she put the prince in serious danger.
Husband and children
The Shah did not at all love her husband Lutfi Pasha. And she helped him become the Grand Vizier only in order to gain more power and become closer to Suleiman. The only person she truly loved was her daughter, Esmahan.
Enmity with Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska
At first, the relationship between the sister and the wife of the Sultan was going well. There was even some semblance of friendship between them. But when Ibrahim Pasha was executed, the Shah swore an oath to Khatija that they would get rid of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.
Mergen-aha
Another defendant who was constantly next to his mistress. Merjan is her faithful slave. He cared about the well-being of his sultana. He is the only person in Topkapi Palace who was very upset about her departure from the capital. Merjan begged his mistress to take him with him. But since he was the main one who kept order in the harem, she left him in the palace.
Shah Sultan leaves the capital and we no longer see her.
Many believe that Khan Huban had white hair, which is not typical of women in the Ottoman Empire.
The lady spent her childhood in Manisa. Thanks to Merkez Efendi, she learned a lot, he instilled in her love for Allah. Merkez Efendi was a very religious person, he took a high position when he healed the Sultan's wife, Aishe.
When the daughter of Selim I Shah Khuban turned 14, she was immediately married to the thirty-five-year-old Lutfi Pasha. The marriage was a profitable party, so the huge age difference did not bother Shah Huban's father. In those days, giving daughters at an early age in marriage, and even for a groom twice her age, was considered the norm.
After the marriage of little Sultana and Lutfi Pasha, they immediately go to the city, where Lufti Pasha has a new leadership position. The Sultana gave birth to two beautiful daughters: Esma Khan and Nazly Shah.
In 1539, Pasha was called to the role of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. He tried with all his might to remain in his position, but could not. He served as Grand Vizier for only 1 year and 9 months. At this time, Shah Sultan lived in the palace of Suleiman. There are several assumptions why Lutfi Pasha was removed from his post so quickly.
As soon as they had time to appoint Lutfi Pasha to the post of Grand Vizier, he immediately began to establish his order with cruelty. He said that lawlessness was happening in the city. And the last straw was that he mocked the genitals of a woman of easy virtue. The woman died in agony.
Shah Khuban found out about this case and decided to talk to her husband, and in return she received only Pasha's fists. The Sultan immediately found out about this and dismissed him from office. For Shah Huban, it was a great reason to file for divorce, which she did.
Suleiman's sister Shah Khuban died in 1572. They buried her next to the mother of Aishe Hafsa Sultan.
The women of the Ottoman Empire had a difficult life, you would not wish this on anyone.
