Sultan Abdülhamid I, an Ottoman emperor, was the son of Sultan Ahmed III and Rabia Şermi Sultan. He ascended to the throne on January 21, 1774, at the age of forty-nine. Sultan Abdülhamid I commissioned the Hamidiye Complex, which is the last “Selatin” (Imperial) complex built by the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. His tomb, a central part of this complex, was constructed in 1780, before the Sultan’s death.
The tomb features a square plan built from ashlar stone and marble, topped with a grand dome. Its exterior corners are rounded and decorated with pilasters, and two fountains are located on the street-facing side. The entrance consists of a three-bayed portico with columns, one side of which is enclosed by a wall.
Displayed and embedded in the left wall of the tomb is the Kadem-i Şerif (the footprint of the Prophet Muhammad). This sacred relic was brought from Damascus by the order of Sultan Abdülhamid I and placed in his tomb. The door protecting the Kadem-i Şerif is crafted entirely from solid mother-of-pearl.
The interior of the structure is illuminated by two rows of windows, with the upper row featuring stained glass. A marble belt inscribed with verses from the Surah Al-Mulk by Mehmet Emin Efendi circles the interior. The inside of the dome and the arches are decorated with baroque-style hand-drawn motifs in soft pastel tones.
In addition to Sultan Abdülhamid I and Sultan Mustafa IV, eighteen princes (Şehzade) and princesses (Hanım Sultan) are interred within the tomb.
INDIVIDUALS INTERRED IN THE TOMB OF SULTAN ABDÜLHAMİD I
| Name | Dates (Birth/Death) |
| Sultan Abdülhamid I | (b. 1725 – d. 1789) |
| Sultan Mustafa IV | (b. 1779 – d. 1808) |
| Şehzade Ahmed | (d. 1778) |
| Rabia Sultan | (d. 1780) |
| Emine Sultan | (b. 1809 – d. 1810) |
| Melekşah Sultan | (b. 1781 – d. 1782) |
| Saliha Sultan | (b. 1786 – d. 1787) |
| Şehzade Mehmed | (b. 1780 – d. 1781) |
| Emine Sultan | (b. 1790 – d. 1791) |
| Şehzade Mehmed Rüştü | (d. 1851-52) |
| Alemşah Sultan | (b. 1785 – d. 1786) |
| Aynışah Sultan | (d. 1780) |
| Şehzade Süleyman | (b. 1785 – d. 1786) |
| Şehzade Beyazıd | (d. 1812-13) |
| Fatma Sultan | (b. 1785 – d. 1786) |
| Şehzade Murad | (d. 1784-85) |
| Şehzade Mehmed | (b. 1784 – d. 1785) |
| Mevhibe Sultan | (d. 1841-42) |
| Rabia Sultan | (d. 1786) |
| Şehzade Murad | (d. 1812) |