Atik Valide Camii

Lonely Planet review

This is one of the grandest of Sinan's İstanbul mosques, second only to his Süleymaniye. Experts rate it as one of the most important Ottoman mosque complexes in the country. It was built in 1583 for Valide Sultan Nurbanu, wife of Selim II and mother of Murat III. Nurbanu had been captured by Turks on the Aegean island of Paros when she was 12 years old, ending up as a slave in Topkapı.

The poor woman had a lot to bear - first being kidnapped and then taking the fancy of Selim the Sot - but she was his favourite concubine and became a very clever player in Ottoman political life. The Kandınlar Sultanatı (Rule of the Women) under which a succession of powerful women influenced the decisions made by their sultan husbands and sons began with her. Murat adored his mother and on her death commissioned Sinan to build this monument to her on Üsküdar's highest hill. Like the Süleymaniye, it has an impressive courtyard. The tile-adorned mihrab is particularly attractive. The mosque is located in the neighbourhood of Tabaklar, up the hillside away from Üsküdar's main square.