Atik Valide mosque

Getty Images/Flickr RM

Atik Valide Mosque

Istanbul


This is one of the two great İstanbul mosque complexes designed by Mimar Sinan. Though not as spectacular as the Süleymaniye, it was designed to a similar plan and built in a similarly commanding location. Its extensive külliye (mosque complex) includes a now decommissioned hamam on Dr Fahri Atabey Caddesi and, closer to the mosque, an imaret (soup kitchen), medrese (Islamic school of higher studies), darüşşifa (hospital) and han (caravanserai). All were being restored at the time of research.

The mosque was built on Üsküdar's highest hill 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 clever player in Ottoman politics. 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.

The mosque is in the neighbourhood of Valide-i Atik, up Hakimiyet-i Milliye and Dr Fahri Atabey Caddesis.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Istanbul attractions

1. Çinili Mosque

0.28 MILES

This little mosque is fairly unprepossessing from the outside, but the interior is a totally different story. The walls are decorated with gorgeous İznik…

2. Şakirin Mosque

0.36 MILES

One of the few architecturally notable modern mosques in İstanbul, this 2009 building was designed by Hüsrev Tayla and its interior is the work of Zeynep…

3. Ahmediye Mosque

0.41 MILES

Eminzade Hacı Ahmet Paşa, comptroller of the Arsenal under Ahmet III, commissioned this mosque and attached medrese in 1722. Its unusual design features a…

4. Fish Market

0.58 MILES

Üsküdar's fish market is close to the iskele (dock), at the centre of a bustling shopping precinct. Shops sell fruit, vegetables, dried nuts, pickles and…

5. Yeni Valide Mosque

0.62 MILES

Unusual due to the striking 'birdcage' tomb in its overgrown garden, this mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet III between 1708 and 1710 for his mother,…

6. Mihrimah Sultan Mosque

0.7 MILES

Sometimes called the İskele (Dock) Camii, this mosque was designed by Mimar Sinan for Süleyman the Magnificent's daughter Mihrimah. Built between 1547 and…

7. Şemsi Ahmed Paşa Mosque

0.84 MILES

This charming mosque complex on the waterfront was designed by Mimar Sinan and built in 1580 for one of Süleyman the Magnificent's grand viziers, Şemsi…

8. Ayazma Mosque

0.84 MILES

One of the most prominent sights on the Üsküdar skyline, this baroque-style mosque was built in 1760–61 by order of Sultan Mustafa III. At the time of…