Shadirvan

A shadirvan (Persian: شادروان, Turkish: şadırvan, Arabic: شاذروان) is a type of fountain that is usually built in the courtyard or near the entrance of mosques, caravanserais, khanqahs, and madrasas, with the main purpose of providing water for drinking or ritual ablutions to several people at the same time, but also as decorative visual or sound elements.

Shadirvans are Persian in origin and, with a curtain or drape, were originally placed in the tents of rulers or on the balconies of palaces. They are a typical element of Ottoman architecture.

In mosques, they are usually found at the main entrance or in the courtyard. Shadirvans usually have a hexagonal or octagonal roof and several water taps. The fountains are an important part of Ottoman religious architecture. They can be distinguished from a sebil, a fountain on the outer wall of a mosque complex and the çeşme, a fountain pavilion, which were erected in public places in large Ottoman cities.

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