Latecomers’ portico

The latecomers’ portico, son cemaat yeri in Turkish, is the front space that runs along the entrance facade of a mosque, just before the prayer hall. Its name comes from its use by those who arrive late or cannot find room inside, who can form rows here. It also acts as a threshold: you do not step straight from open ground into the prayer hall, but pass first through this semi-open zone.

Position and form

In classical Ottoman mosques the portico is usually an arcade of arches carried on columns. Each bay between the arches is covered by a dome or vault, and the bay on the main entrance axis is sometimes raised to give it emphasis. In smaller or rural buildings it can take the form of a timber porch with eaves resting on wooden posts. The wall of the prayer hall facing the portico often carries niches and windows of its own.

• Masonry arcade: columns, arches and domes.
• Timber porch: posts carrying a timber roof.
• Double portico: extended by a second outer row of arcades.

The portico in surveys and restoration

Porticoes were often altered over time: arches were glazed in, timber porches were rebuilt in masonry or replaced entirely. In a measured survey, capitals, arch springings, tie rods and roof traces on the wall are the evidence of those changes. Restitution and restoration projects then weigh whether to remove later enclosures against the current needs of the building.