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New Mosque of Istanbul is a classical example of harmonious Ottoman religious architecture. It was constructed in 1597- 1663. Two elegant minarets (prayer towers) that were added on two sides of the New Mosque came into existence due to Valide Sultan Safie, ambitious Albanian wife of Sultan Murad III.
Teni Cami Meydani, Eminönü
Trolley: Eminönü
Open: daily
Construction history
The construction of the mosque began in 1597
by order of Safiye Sultan, the wife of Sultan Murad III. A student of
the great Sinan Davud-aga was chosen as the architect. When Davud-aga
died two years later, he was replaced by Dalgich Ahmed-aga. Construction
was carried out for more than half a century and was completed only
after Turhan Sultan came to power.
The Eminonu district was the
commercial center of Istanbul, which was predominantly Jewish. The
choice of this particular area for the construction of a large mosque
was obvious: Safiye Sultan expected to expand the sphere of Islamic
influence within the city, capitalizing on the growing discontent of
local and foreign merchants, who were harmed by the increase in power
and influence of their Jewish counterparts, which gave Safiye an excuse
to confiscate the property of merchants . However, the increase in
construction-related costs has drawn sharp criticism. In particular, the
Janissaries resented the growing political power of the Valide Sultans
and believed that the mosque was an unnecessary expense. After the death
of Mehmed III in 1603, Safiye was sent to the Old Palace; the
construction of the mosque was stopped because the new Sultan Ahmed I
was not interested in the project. Over time, the structure began to
turn into ruins. In 1660, the area where the unfinished mosque was
located was damaged by fire. The fire attracted the attention of Valide
Turhan Sultan to the mosque itself, the construction of which, by her
order, was completed in 1665.
Architecture
Appearance
The
mosque is crowned with 66 pyramidal domes and two minarets with three
sherefs on each. The height of the main dome is 36 meters, it is
supported by four semi-domes, the ceiling is covered by many domes of
various sizes. This arrangement of domes was previously used in the
construction of the Şehzade Sinan Mosque and the Blue Mosque of Sedevkar
Mehmed Agha. The facade of the mosque is decorated with Iznik tiles.
Interior view
Inside the mosque is well lit, the floor is lined
with carpets.
The windows are decorated with colored
stained-glass windows. All windows have verses and surahs from the
Koran. The mosque is finished with faience and has five gates, one of
which overlooks the front courtyard of the mosque.
Complex
Like other imperial mosques in Istanbul, Yeni Cami was conceived as a
complex of buildings necessary to meet religious and cultural needs. The
original complex consisted of the mosque itself, a hospital, a mekteb, a
hamam, a turbe (in which, in addition to Turhan herself and her son
Mehmed IV, five more sultans (Mustafa II, Ahmed III, Mahmud I, Osman III
and Murad V) are buried), as well as many members their families), two
fountains, a market (which served as financial support for the
construction of the mosque) and Hyunkar Kasra (Sultan's chambers), built
specifically for Turhan and consisting of two large rooms, a terrace and
a lavatory.
The mosque has a monumental courtyard (avlu). In the
center of the courtyard there is an elegant fountain for religious
ablutions (in fact, the ablution ritual is performed from water taps
near the southern wall of the mosque). A gallery with a portico, covered
with 24 domes, was built around the courtyard. During the reign of Ahmed
III, a library was added. In the 19th century, the wall of the outer
courtyard was demolished. Later, the darulkurra (room for reading the
Koran) and the mekteb were demolished.