Religious, Spiritual sights in Istanbul
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Blue Mosque
With this mosque, Sultan Ahmet I (r 1603–17) set out to build a monument that would rival and even surpass the nearby Aya Sofya in grandeur and beauty. So enthusiastic was the sultan about his grand project that he is said to have worked with the labourers and craftsmen on site, pushing them along and rewarding extra effort. Ahmet did in fact come close to his goal of rivalling Aya Sofya, and in so doing achieved the added benefit of making future generations of hotel owners in Sultanahmet happy – a ‘Blue Mosque view’ from the roof terrace being the number-one selling point of the fleet of hotels in the area. The mosque’s architect, Mehmet Ağa, who had trained with Sina…
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Neve Shalom Synagogue
During the 19th century, Galata had a large Sephardic Jewish population and a number of synagogues. Most of this community has now moved to other residential areas in the city, but the synagogues remain. Tragically, this building (which dates from the 1930s) seems to have become a target for anti-Jewish extremists and it has suffered three attacks in recent decades – a brutal massacre by Arab gunmen during the summer of 1986, a bomb attack in 1992 and a 2003 car-bomb attack carried out by a motley group of Turkish Muslims inspired by Osama bin Laden. In a tragic irony, the name Neve Shalom means Oasis or Valley of Peace. To visit, fax a request including your name, addres…
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Chora Church
Chora literally means ‘country’, reflecting the fact that when this church (also known as the Church of the Holy Saviour Outside the Walls) was built in AD 527–65 it was located outside the original city walls built by Constantine the Great. However, within a century it was engulfed by Byzantine urban sprawl and enclosed within a new set of walls built by Emperor Theodosius II. The environs of the church weren’t the only thing to change over the years – after centuries of use as a church the building became a mosque, Kariye Camii, after the Conquest and it now functions as a museum. And what you see today is not the original church-outside-the-walls. Rather, this one was …
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Süleymaniye Mosque
The Süleymaniye crowns one of the seven hills and dominates the Golden Horn, providing a landmark for the entire city. It was commissioned by the greatest, richest and most powerful of Ottoman sultans, Süleyman I (r 1520–66), known as ‘The Magnificent’, and was the fourth imperial mosque built in İstanbul, following the Fatih, Beyazıt and Selim I complexes. Though it’s not the largest of the Ottoman mosques, the Süleymaniye is certainly the grandest. It was designed by Mimar Sinan, the most famous and talented of all imperial architects. Though Sinan described the smaller Selimiye Camii in Edirne as his best work, he chose to be buried here in the Süleymaniye complex, pro…
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Church of St Stephen of the Bulgars
These days we’re accustomed to kit homes and assemble-yourself furniture from Ikea, but back in 1871, when this Gothic Revival cast-iron church was constructed from pieces shipped down the Danube and across the Black Sea from Vienna on 100 barges, the idea was extremely novel. It’s hard to say which is the more unusual: the building and its interior fittings –all made completely of cast iron – or the history of its congregation. During the 19th century, ethnic nationalism swept through the Ottoman Empire, with each of the empire’s many ethnic groups – who identified themselves on the basis of language, religion and racial heritage – wanting to rule its own affairs. This s…
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New Mosque
Only in İstanbul would a 400-year-old mosque be called ‘New’. The Yeni Camii was begun in 1597, commissioned by Valide Sultan Safiye, mother of Sultan Mehmet III (r 1595–1603). The site was earlier occupied by a community of Karaite Jews, radical dissenters from Orthodox Judaism. When the valide sultan decided to build her grand mosque here, the Karaites were moved to Hasköy, a district further up the Golden Horn that still bears traces of their presence. Safiye lost her august position when her son died and the mosque was completed six sultans later in 1663 by Valide Sultan Turhan Hadice, mother of Sultan Mehmet IV (r 1648–87). In plan, the New Mosque is much like…
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Atik Valide Camii
This is one of the grandest of Sinan’s İstanbul mosques, second only to his Süleymaniye Mosque. 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…
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Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate
The Ecumenical patriarch is a ceremonial head of the Orthodox Church, though most of the churches in Greece, Cyprus, Russia and other countries have their own patriarchs or archbishops who are independent of İstanbul. Nevertheless, the symbolic importance of the patriarchate, here in the city that saw the great era of Byzantine and Orthodox influence, is considerable. The patriarchate has been located in this district since 1600 and the patriarch’s official title is the Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch. To the Turkish government, the patriarch is a Turkish citizen of Greek descent nominated by the church and appointed by the government as an…
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Mosque of Rüstem Paşa
Plonked in the middle of the busy Tahtakale district, this little-visited mosque is a gem. Built in 1560 by Sinan for Rüstem Paşa, son-in-law and grand vizier of Süleyman the Magnificent, it is a showpiece of the best Ottoman architecture and tilework, albeit on a small scale. It is thought to have been the prototype for Sinan’s greatest work, the Selimiye in Edirne. At the top of the two sets of entry steps there is a terrace and the mosque’s colonnaded porch. You’ll notice at once the panels of İznik faïence set into the mosque’s facade. The interior is covered in similarly gorgeous tiles and features a lovely dome, supported by four tiled pillars. The preponderance of …
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Fatih Camii Off
The Fatih was the first great imperial mosque built in İstanbul following the Conquest. For its location Mehmet the Conqueror chose the hilltop site of the ruined Church of the Apostles, burial place of Constantine and other Byzantine emperors. The mosque complex, finished in 1470, was enormous; set in extensive grounds, it included in its külliye 15 charitable establishments such as religious schools, a hospice for travellers and a caravanserai.
Unfortunately, the mosque you see today is not the one Mehmet built. The original stood for nearly 300 years before toppling in an earthquake in 1766. Though rebuilt, it was destroyed by fire in 1782. The present mosque dates f…
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Beyazit Mosque
Dating from 1501 to 1506, this was the second imperial mosque to be built in the city after Mehmet the Conqueror’s Fatih Mosque, and was the prototype for other imperial mosques. In effect, it is the link between Aya Sofya, which obviously inspired its design, and the great mosques such as Süleymaniye, which are realisations of Aya Sofya’s design fully adapted to Muslim worship. Of note is the mosque’s exceptional use of fine stone: marble, porphyry, verd antique and rare granite. The mihrab is simple, except for the rich stone columns framing it, and the courtyard, with its 24 small domes and central fountain, is pretty. Some of the other buildings of Beyazıt’s …
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Little Aya Sofya
Justinian and his wife Theodora built this little church sometime between 527 and 536 (just before Justinian built Aya Sofya) and you can still see their monogram worked into some of the frilly white capitals. It was named after the two patron saints of Christians in the Roman army. The building, which has recently been restored, is one of the most beautiful in the city. Its dome is architecturally noteworthy and its plan – an irregular octagon – is quite unusual. Like Aya Sofya, its interior was originally decorated with gold mosaics and featured columns made from fine green and red marble. The mosaics are long gone, but the impressive columns remain. The church was …
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Ahrida Synagogue
Sephardic Jews, driven from Spain by the judges of the Inquisition, found refuge in the Ottoman Empire in the late 15th and early 16th centuries and many settled in this quarter of the city. Some of their descendants still live here and speak the native Spanish dialect of Ladino. Like all other religious ‘nations’ within the empire, the Jewish community was governed by its supreme religious leader, the Chief Rabbi, who oversaw its adherence to religious law and who was responsible to the sultan for the community’s good conduct. Today, you’ll need to contact the current Chief Rabbinate of Turkey at least 24 hours in advance if you wish to visit this synagogue, whic…
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Church of SS Peter & Paul
Tucked away in one of the steep streets below Galata Tower you’ll find the small grey-and-white doorway to the courtyard of the Church of SS Peter and Paul. A Dominican church originally stood on this site, but the building you see today dates from the mid-19th century. It’s the work of the Fossati brothers who also designed the Dutch and Russian consulate buildings (both in Beyoğlu). Like many other Latin churches in the city, its courtyard design reflects the Ottoman ruling that Latin churches could not be built directly fronting onto a road or on top of a hill (the Church of St Mary Draperis on İstiklal Caddesi is another example of this). The church backs onto a …
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Church of St Mary of the Mongols
History buffs will find a visit here more satisfying than those specifically interested in architecture, as this squat red-brick church is quite unprepossessing from the outside and an unfortunate exercise in ecclesiastical decorative overkill inside. Historically, though, it is extremely significant, being the only Byzantine church in İstanbul which has not, at some stage or another, been converted into a mosque. It was consecrated in the 13th century and saved from conversion by the personal decree of Mehmet the Conqueror. If you ring the bell on the outside gate you may attract the attention of the caretaker, who is usually happy to show visitors the church in exchange…
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Azapkapi Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Camii
This pretty mosque, designed by Sinan and built in 1577, is unusual in that it and the minaret are raised on a platform. Like Sinan's Rüstem Paşa Camii over the Golden Horn (also on a raised platform), it was commissioned by Sokollu Mehmet Paşa, a grand vizier of Süleyman the Magnificent. Today it's overshadowed by the approach to Atatürk Bridge and seems to almost shrink back from the traffic mayhem of Tersane Caddesi.
Still, it's well worth a visit, particularly for its fine marble mihrab and mimber. Look for the attendant if the mosque is locked; a tip is expected. Don't miss the nearby rococo fountain (sebil) built by Saliha Valide Hatun, mother of Mahmut I.
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Christ Church
Designed by GE Street (who also did London’s Law Courts), the cornerstone of this Anglican church was laid in 1858 by Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, known as ‘The Great Elchi’ ( elçi, meaning ambassador) because of his paramount influence in mid-19th-century Ottoman affairs. The church, dedicated in 1868 as the Crimean Memorial Church, is the largest of the city’s Protestant churches. It was restored and renamed in the mid-1990s.
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