Istanbul - Yeni mosque

Yeni mosque

Yeni mosque

The Yeni Mosque is also known as the New Mosque or Mosque of the Valide Sultan and is located in the Eminönü districtly under the South end of the Galata Bridge. As the mosque lies close to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar perhaps you can combine visiting them on one day. The mosque was built by Safiye the queen mother and the mother of Sultan Mehmet III in 1597.

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However she lost her queen power early as her son died and the construction of the mosque has not been yet finished. Three generations later, Turhan Hatice, the queen mother of Sultan Mehmet IV took over the responsibility to finish the waiting mosque in 1663 and so the complex received its second name Vailde Sultan's Mosque.

The Yeni Mosque contains nowadays several fountains, a summer house and a mausoleum. Orginally it housed also a primary school and another yard however they have been closed. The inside of the mosque is rich in title and gold decoration elements. Above the there is a calligraphy of Hattat Tenekecizade Mustafa Çelebi. An extravagant element inside are also the four elephant feet carrying the dome construction. The . mosque niche and pulpit are made of white marble and mosaics made of of gems are used to enrich the space. The stones for building the mosques were imported from Rhodes. The summer house has been built in the style of an old Turkish house and originally was built for Turhan Sultan. Nowadays it is a museum. The panoramic view from the house over Istanbul is breath-taking.The Mosque of the Valide Sultan also includes Turkey's largest mausoleum dating back to the Ottomans where Hatice Turhan Sultan and other members of the royal family as are for example Sultan Mehmed IV or Sultan

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Yeni mosque by istanbul turkey.co.uk