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 külliye (mosque complex) have been well utilised. The soup kitchen has been turned into a library, while the medrese now houses the Museum of Turkish Calligraphic Art (closed for restoration at the time of research). Unfortunately the once-splendid hamam is still waiting to be restored. Beyazıt’s türbe is behind the mosque.