Top 10 Beautiful Mosques in Istanbul

Top 10 Beautiful Mosques in Istanbul

A large number of the historical mosques, which date back to the era of the Ottoman Empire are present in Istanbul. Istanbul comprises a number of  important tourist attractions in Turkey,

Mosques in Istanbul have a unique architectural style with spectacular interiors and eye-catching colorful decorations. Owing to such beautiful structures it makes mosques as one of the most important tourist places in Istanbul.

In this article, we will cover Top 10 Beautiful Mosques in Istanbul that are recommended to visit in Istanbul.

Top 10 Beautiful Mosques in Istanbul

HAGIA SOPHIA MOSQUE (AYASOFYA CAMII)

  • Hagia Sophia is Located in the Sultanahmet neighborhood, a former church and museum, now a mosque.
  • Moreover, It is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires
  • Also, The Blue Mosque and Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul were designed with the inspiration of Hagia Sophia.
  • Sultan Mehmet Fatih converted Ayasofya into the first mosque in Istanbul for Muslim people to pray on it.
  • Lastly, Ayasofya is on the European side of Istanbul in sultan Ahmet square in front of the sultan Ahmet Mosque or the blue mosque.

SULTAN AHMET MOSQUE (BLUE MOSQUE)

  • Sultan Ahmet mosque was built by sultan Ahmet I. It is an amazing monument constructed in his reign.
  • The mosque was opened for worship in 1617, and it was decorated from the inside with 21,000 blue and white ceramics.
  • The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design.
  • Lastly, Sultan Ahmet mosque locates On the European side of Istanbul in the Fatih District in front of Ayasofya mosque and adjacent to the famous Topkapi palace.

SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE

  • The Suleymaniye mosque locates in the Suleymaniye district near the Bosphorus and Golden horn.
  • It was built in 1550 by the famous architect Mimar Sinan during the reign of Sultan Suleyman Kanuni. the mosque was built in the Islamic ottoman architecture style,
  • To the south of the mosque is a madressa housing a library containing 110,000 manuscripts.
  • Lastly, Suleymaniye mosques were the largest mosques in Istanbul until the Camlica mosque was built in 2019.

ORTAKOY MOSQUE

  • Ortakoy mosque is located on the European side of Istanbul in the Besiktas district on the Bosphorus.
  • The mosque was built by Sultan Abdul Majid in 1853. It was built in the Baroque architecture style by architect Garabet Balyan.
  • It is open from around 9 am to 6 pm, but closed to visitors during prayer times.
  • The plates decorated with calligraphy hanging on the walls of the mosque are the Sultan’s own design.
  • Lastly, Ortakoy Mosque is located at the most beautiful point of the district, Bosphorus river can be viewed from the mosque.

FATIH MOSQUE

  • Fatih mosque locates on the European side of Istanbul in the Fatih district.
  • The mosque was a church in the Byzantine era, but when the ottoman empire comes to turkey, the sultan Mehmet Fatih converted it to a mosque.
  • The construction of the mosque lasted seven years and was finished in 1470.
  • Lastly, Each Wednesday the largest street market of Istanbul (Fatih Pazarı) takes place around the Fatih Mosque.

EYUP SULTAN MOSQUE

  • Sultan Eyup mosque locates in the Eyup district nearby the Golden horn.
  • In 1458, mosque was constructed.
  • Eyup sultan is considered to be a holy place for Muslims as it has many tombs for people who delivered Islam to the whole world, and the most important tomb there is the tomb of Abu Eyup El Ensari (God bless him).
  • Lastly, The major shopping street “Iskele Caddesi” across from the pier leads up to the mosque complex.

CAMLICA MOSQUE

 

  • Camlica mosque is the largest mosque in Istanbul up to date.
  • The mosque is large enough to allow 63 thousand people to pray at the same time.
  • The mosque has six minarets to represent the six articles of Islamic Faith.
  • It also has an art gallery, library, childcare spaces, and conference halls.
  • Lastly, The great Camlica mosque is located in the Camlica district on the Asian side of Istanbul.

MIHRIMAH SULTAN

  • Mihrimah Sultan Mosque locates in the Edirnekapi neighborhood on the European side of Istanbul near the Byzantine land walls.
  • The mosque was designed and constructed with the orders from Mihrimah Sultan, the daughter of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century.
  • Lastly, The mosque has two minarets on the north and west corners of the prayer hall, both with single balconies.

DOLMABAHCE MOSQUE

  • Dolmabahce Mosque, known as the Sultan’s Mother Mosque, was opened in 1855 and constructed by Architect Nigogayos Balyan by order of the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Majid.
  • The Mosque has two minarets just with a single balcony and a single dome resting on a square floor.
  • Mimbar and Mihrab is made of red porphyry and decorated with European patterns.
  • Lastly, The mosque is located on the European side of Istanbul in Besiktas at the coast of the Bosphorus in the Kabatas region, south of Dolmabahce palace.

TAKSIM MOSQUE

  • Taksim Mosque locates on the European side of Istanbul in Taksim square
  • The interior of Taksim Mosque is decorated in shades of brown and beige.
  • The dome is 108-foot (33 meters) in length.
  • Furthermore, the mosque is on the other side of Istiklal street from The Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church.

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