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Nusretiye Mosque

Nusretiye Mosque

Located on the shore of Bosphorus in Tophane, the Nusretiye Camii (in Turkish) -also called Tophane Mosque- has to have one of the most ornamented and decorated among all of the Istanbul mosques. Indeed, built in 1826 the Nusretiye Mos. is a very good example of the combination of Baroque and Empire architectural styles.

Nusretiye Mosque was built over a late eighteenth-century mosque that burnt down in 1823 due to the Firuzağa Fire, the Mosque of the Artillery Barracks (Tophane-i Amire Arabacılar Kışlası Camii). Nusretiye Mosque was commissioned by Ottoman sultan Mahmut II right after the Firuzağa Fire in 1823 and was finished in 1826. The mosque was built by Armenian descent architect Krikor Balyan, who also built Beylerbeyi Palace, Aynalıkavak Palace, and many other structures in Istanbul in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Fusion Architecture: Baroque and Empire Styles
The mosque is a successful fusion of Baroque and Empire architectural styles with an ornate exterior and large windows welcoming light into its plainer interior. The main chamber of the mosque is relatively big and square shaped, each edge is 15 meters in length. The mosque has two other additional structures that were built later: a muvakkithane (time keeping house) and a public fountain in its courtyard. Due to its location and unique architecture the the Mosque is definitely worth seeing.

Amazing facts 
Nusretiye Mosque is one of the largest Ottoman mosques built outside the historical peninsula of Istanbul. The mosque was commissioned right after Ottoman-Persian War took place in Erzurum between 1821-23 and has no trace of Persian architectural elements.

Nusretiye Mosque is located in Tophane and the easiest way is to take the tram to Tophane, the mosque is only two-minutes walking distance from Tophane Tram Station to east.

What else nearby?
The Nusretiye Mosque is situated in Tophane, outside the historical peninsula of Istanbul and there are a number of important sights of Istanbul including Istanbul Modern Museum, Kılıc Ali Pasa Mosque, Kılıc Ali Pasa Hamam, and monumental Tophane Fountain.

Opening hours 
The mosque is open from 9am-6pm every day, but closed at prayer times. There is no ticket price of the mosque, but donations are welcome.

Muratpasha Mosque

Muratpasha Mosque

This uniquely striped mosque sits between Yusufpasa and Aksaray stations and was built just 20 years after the fall of Constantinople in 1473. The interior of the mosque appears to be longer than the exterior and over the entrance is a superb calligraphy inscription made by Ali Sofi whose hand work can also be seen on the gateway in to Topkapi Palace.

Muratpahsa Mosque is the largest complex in the city donated by a vizier. Close to the Aksaray footbridge, the Muratpasha Mosque, according to the dates of  1469 – 1471 inscription, is one of the oldest mosques in the city. Since it was built only twenty years after the conquest of the city. Its founder was Has Muratpahsa, the vizier during the rule of Sultan Mehmed II.

Has Muratpasha, a member of the Palaiologos dynasty, became one of the most important viziers of Sultan Mehmet II. After Muratpasha died during the Otlukbeli war in 1469, his brother Vizier Mesih Pasha completed the mosque in 1473.

Yavuz Sultan Mosque

Yavuz Sultan Mosque

Yavuz Sultan Mosque, the sultan to whom this mosque was dedicated (Süleyman the Magnificent’s father, Selim I, known as ‘the Grim’) is famous for having killed two of his brothers, six of his nephews and three of his own sons in order to assure his succession and that of Süleyman. He did, however, lay the groundwork for his son’s imperial success and, to this day, Istanbul‘s love his mosque.

The building itself, constructed between 1522 and 1529, has a simple but elegant design. Inside, its mother-of-pearl inlay and painted woodwork provide the most distinctive features.

The reason for this ongoing adulation is the ‘Tough’ Yavuz Sultan Mosque position atop the Old City’s fifth hill. Its terrace has panoramic views over the Golden Horn (the mosque you see on the right is Süleymaniye Mosque) and is a popular picnic and relaxation spot. Selim’s türbe (tomb) is in the garden behind the mosque.
The mosque is located in the fascinating Carsamba district, one of the city’s most conservative enclaves. Women in black chadors and men with long beards and traditional clothing are seen everywhere, often hurrying to prayers at the Ismail Aga Mosque, headquarters of the Naksibendi Tarikatı, a Sufi sect. The huge sunken park next door was originally a 5th-century open Roman cistern; it’s now home to playing fields, basketball courts and an excellent children’s playground.

 

Valide Sultan Mosque

Valide Sultan Mosque

Valide Sultan Mosque, located on the old Roman road that runs West from the Hagia Sophia and past the Grand Bazaar, this mosque is between the modern metro stations of Aksaray and Vezneciler. Seen from the main road, the building’s Turkish Rococo marble work is an impressive and unexpected sight. Built in the late 19th century, the mosque has an eclectic mixture of styles and influences, from Baroque to North African to Gothic and Ottoman. Sultan Pertevniyal, wife of Sultan Mahmud II and also mother of Sultan Abdülaziz, commissioned the mosque from either Italian architect Montani Efendi of Ottoman-Armenian architect Sarkis Balyan. The interior is even more splendid than the exterior, with intricately colored painting covering all the walls and the dazzling dome.

Ishakpasha Mosque

Ishakpasha Mosque

Ishakpasha Mosque, this late 15th-century mosque was built by the grand vizier of the same name and renovated in 1951. At one end of Akbiyik Street is the small Ishak Pasha Mosque that dates back to 1482 and is often disregarded although it is one of the oldest mosques in the city. It was built for Ishak Pasha who was the Grand Vizier to Mehmed II and Beyazid II. Over the road from here is a large hamam that has been allowed to crumble away although some parts of it have been integrated into the gardens of the Empress Zoe Hotel in Sultanahmet.

Corlulu Ali Pasha Mosque

Corlulu Ali Pasha Mosque

Corlulu Ali Pasha Mosque is a historic location in the university neighborhood of Beyazit and is popular with students who still come to hang out here from the nearby universities. The 300-year-old Medrese was a religious school and dervish lodge during the Ottoman times, before becoming a bustling bazaar area in the mid-20th century. Today it is an oasis for locals and tourists alike who are seeking relaxing refuge from the hustle and bustle of the nearby Grand Bazaar area. There are wooden tables and chairs in the shaded courtyard area, Iznik-tiled table tops, mosaic lamps dangling from the ceiling and carpets hanging on the walls. It is a favorite hang-out spot for many university students, who come here to pass the time over a glass of Turkish tea or an aromatic cup of Turkish coffee whilst enjoying the fragrant smoke of a hookah (also called nargile or water pipe). Apple and mint or rose and mint are recommended tobacco flavors for the hookah and in winter the warming and comforting winter drink of sahlep is also much loved. It has also become a popular tourist location to sample this tradition of Turkey and the Middle East and is rich in atmosphere with the light haze of hookah tobacco and the musical tinkling of teaspoons in Turkish tea glasses.

Atik Ali Pasha Mosque

Atik Ali Pasha Mosque

Atik Ali Pasha Mosque (Turkish: Gazi Atik Ali Paşa Camii) is an old Ottoman mosque located in the Cemberlitas neighbourhood of the Fatih district in Istanbul, Turkey. Its construction was started under the orders of the future Grand Vizier Hadım Atik Ali Pasha in 1496 and was completed in 1497, during the reign of Sultan Bayezid II. The mosque is located near the entrance to the Kapalıçarşı (Grand Bazaar), the Column of Constantine, and the historical Nuruosmaniye Mosque.

Firuzaga Mosque

Firuzaga Mosque

Sultanahmet Firuzaga Mosque; This small and lovely mosque is close to the Sultanahmet tram stop and is one of the city’s oldest dating back to 1491 when Firuz Aga was the Chief Treasurer to Beyazid II and who commissioned the construction of the building.The pre-classical design has a single minaret and triple arched portico similar to those built in Bursa. A little further on from the mosque is a small park that has remains of palaces belonging to Antiochus and Lausus, two Byzantine noblemen.
The park is also the burial place of the Christian martyr, St. Euphemia of Chalcedon, who was murdered for her faith in 300 AD and has a monument of Mehmed Akif Ersoy (1873-1936) who wrote the Turkish national anthem, Istiklal Marsi (Independence March).

Cihangir Firuzaga Mosque; Beyoğlu Cihangir Firuzaga Agahamamı Street is built. It is made by Firuzaga in 1491. The mosque and its surroundings were devastated by the large Cihangir fire in Sultan II on March 11, 1823. It is amended and renewed by Mahmut. The mosque is friends with an area of ​​380 square meters. It has two floors, a mosque on the upper floor and shops on the lower floor. It is a superb structure. The walls are made of masonry, the roof is wooden, the minaret is single-glazed and made of brick. The harem, which has a thorn plan, is separated on the wooden parts, one on each side, and the mosque is covered with tile. Today’s building has an architectural character called “Tanzimat style”. It is on two sides with stairs. The pulpit and pulpit of the mosque are wooden.

Sinanpasha Mosque

Sinanpasha Mosque

Sinanpasha Mosque, built by famous architect Mimar Sinan in 1555, the Sinan Paşa Mosque (Sinan Pasha Camii) is an Ottoman mosque located in a densely populated neighborhood of Istanbul, Besiktas. Sinan Pasha Mosque, also called Besiktas Mosque, is one of the most underrated Ottoman mosques in Istanbul due to its unfortunate location.

Sinan Pasha: The Grand Admiral of Ottoman Navy
The mosque was commissioned by Sinan Pasha in 1550, who was the grand admiral (Kaptan-ı Derya) of the Ottoman navy between 1550 and 1553. Before the construction of the mosque, Sinan Pasha died in 1553 and could not see his work finish. Therefore he was not able to be buried in his own mosque – hence his grave is at Mihrimah Sultan Mosque. It was built as a mosque complex (külliye) including a mosque, madrasa (religious high school), mektep (primary school), and hamam (Turkish bath); however, today only the mosque and madrasa sections are surviving. Other structures part of the mosque complex were destroyed in the 1950s due to road constructions.

The plan of the Sinan Pasha Mosque is rectangular in shape with a dome in the center and two small domes on both sides of the main dome. This architectural feature of the mosque is very similar with early Ottoman mosque architecture. Nevertheless, the dome of the mosque is supported by a hexagonal inner structure and this is the most important and unique characteristic of the mosque. Compared to other mosques built by Mimar Sinan, interior of the Sinan Pasha Mosque is less decorated because of untimely loss of Sinan Pasha during the construction phase. In the past few years, the mosque was under restoration. The mosque was re-opened to public in 2014.

Amazing facts about the Sinan Pasha Mosque
Sinan Pasha -who commissioned the mosque- died in 1553 before the construction of the mosque and he was buried to the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque Complex in Üsküdar.

Sinan Pasha was the younger brother of Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha, who also commissioned the Rüstempasha Mosque built by Sinan.

How to get to the Sinan Pasha Mosque
Situated in Besiktas, the easiest way to get to the Sinan Pasha Mosque is to take a boat from Kadıköy, Eminönü, or Üsküdar and get off at Besiktas. The mosque is across the Besiktas pier.

What else nearby?
The mosque is located in Besiktas, one of the most densely neighborhoods of Istanbul and also between the neighborhoods of Kabatas and Ortaköy, there are important sights in the area including Istanbul Naval Museum, Ortaköy neighborhood, Ortaköy Mosque, and Dolmabahce Palace Museum.

Opening hours of the Sinan Pasha Mosque
The Sinan Pasha Mosque is open from 9am-6pm every day, but closed at prayer times. There is no ticket price of the mosque, but donations are welcome.

Dolmabahce Valide Sultan Mosque

Dolmabahce Valide Sultan Mosque

Located on the shore of Bosphorus in Dolmabahce, Bezmialem Valide Sultan Mosque -also called Dolmabahce Mosque (Dolmabahce Camii)- has to have one of the most unique architecture among all of the Ottoman mosques in Istanbul. The mosque was commissioned by Bezmialem Valide Sultan in 1852, who was the mother of Ottoman sultan Abdülmecid I. Bezmialem Valide Sultan passed away in 1853 and the mosque was finished in 1855 with Abdülmecid I’s financial aid.

Original name of the mosque is Bezmialem Valide Sultan Mosque, but it is known as Dolmabahce Mosque (Dolmabahce Camii) for neighbouring Dolmabahce Palace which was built only a year after the construction of the mosque.

Architect of the Dolmabahce Mosque was Garabet Balyan, who also supervised construction of the Dolmabahce Palace. The mosque’s architecture is a successful and classy blend of Baroque and Empire architectural styles. Main chamber of the mosque is relatively large and square in shape, each edge is 25 meters in length. Dolmabahce Mosque has two long minarets with one serefe (minaret balcony) each and they make them look like marble columns.

What makes the Dolmabahce Mosque unique and different that its circular window design. Such a circular window design was used for the first time in Ottoman architecture at the Dolmabahce Mosque. Cihangir Mosque dating to 1889 is another Ottoman mosque with similar circled window design.

Amazing facts about the Dolmabahce Mosque
Dolmabahce Mosque was first planned as the mosque of the Dolmabahce Palace and was built by same architect (Garabet Balyan); however, due to its monumentality and uniqueness it became separate from the palace.

Between 1948 and 1961 the Dolmabahce Mosque served as Naval Museum.

By the time it was built the mosque had a large courtyard, muvakkithane (time keeping house), and fountain. Its courtyard and fountain were destroyed in 1950s due to road construction and muvakkithane was moved to shore.

How to get to the Dolmabahce Mosque
Dolmabahce Mosque is located in Dolmabahce that is very close to Kabatas. It is only five minutes walk distance from Kabatas tram and funicular stations as well as Kabatas pier.

What else nearby?
Located between Besiktas and Kabatas, there a number of other sights in the area worth seeing, such as the Dolmabahce Palace, Dolmabahce Clock Tower, Palace Collections Museum, Sinan Pasha Mosque, and Istanbul Naval Museum.

Opening hours of the Dolmabahce Mosque
Dolmabahce Mosque (Dolmabahce Camii) is open from 9am-6pm every day, but closed at prayer times. There is no ticket price of the mosque, but donations are welcome.