On the picture: The buildings on the south side of the lower courtyard.
From left to right: The gallery leading to the entrance of the Türbe (mausoleum) of Seyit Battal Gazi, the Türbe itself (reshaped in Ottoman style in 1465) and the north side of the former Byzantine monastery (10th century), which has been transformed into a medrese (school) First – in 1208 – and later into a ‘Çilehane’ when sultan Selim I gave the sanctuary to the Bektaşi Brotherhood (in 1511).

Çilehane (= House of ascesis) was where Sufis would go to pray in seclusion. Before being accepted as a full member, each novice of a Sufi Order had to stay in such seclusion in a Çilehane for some time (mostly: forty days).

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Türkye Tarihi Yerler Kılavuzu’ – M.Orhan Bayrak, Inkılâp Kitabevi, Istanbul, 1994.
Leaflet of the Seyitgazi Külliyesi (1995) , ‘Guide Fodor: Turquie’ - Edition 1988
& Personal visits (1995 – 1996).