Dolmabahçe Mosque

The mosque built on Meclisi Mebusan Street located in Kabataş, one of the quarters of İstanbul, was commissioned by Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan, the wife of Mahmut II and also the mother of Sultan Abdülhamid. Nikogos Balyan is the architect of the mosque, the construction of which dates back to the 19th century. Upon the death of Valide Sultan in 1855, the completion of the mosque was handled by his son Sultan Abdülmecid. Since it is located right across the courtyard door of Dolmabahçe Palace, the name of the mosque takes part in the literature as Dolmabahçe Mosque. Its exact location is opposite the door on the side of the clock tower situated in the courtyard of the Dolmabahçe Palace.

The mosque was built in accordance with the 19th century Ottoman architecture, inspired by western styles. The mosque was built as a mixture of baroque, empire, and rococo styles, which were used more during this period. Its general material consists of stones and marbles. The most distinctive structural feature of the mosque is that it is a work of art with a clear geometry. The interior main space of the mosque is in a full square format. The sultan's and mosque sections appear to be built separately and combined afterwards. The main part of the mosque consists of a high block with a square dome. The sultan's section is made of a lower block and built in a rectangular shape.

The Hünkâr Pavilion, located in front of the mosque the surrounding walls and doors of the courtyard of which disappeared during the opening of Dolmabahçe Square, is not in its original appearance. Dolmabahçe Mosque was used as the Naval Museum between 1948 and 1961, and it was restored and opened to worship after the museum moved to its new building. Restoration was carried out by the General Directorate for Foundations in 1966.