New Mosque

The foundations of the New Mosque or Valide Sultan Mosque located in Bahçekapı, Eminönü, Istanbul were laid in 1597 by the order of Safiye Sultan, the wife of Sultan III. Murad, and were completed in 1665 with the great efforts and donations of Turhan Hatice Sultan, the mother of the then Sultan IV. Mehmed.

The mosque, which took the longest time to complete in the Ottoman period Turkish architecture, contributes significantly to the silhouette and visuality of the city due to its location and is the last example of the large mosques built by the Ottoman family. The construction of the New Mosque and its complex was started in 1597 by Valide Safiye Sultan, who started to interfere in political affairs after her son III. Mehmet ascended to the throne and wanted to have a mosque built in Eminönü to represent her power. It was started by Architect Davut Ağa and continued by Architect Dalgıç Ahmed Ağa. The construction, which was left unfinished after the death of Architect Davut Ağa and Safiye Sultan, who contracted the plague, was completed 66 years after its inception by the chief architect of the period, Mustafa Ağa, during the reign of Mehmed IV, due to its excessive costs. Along with the New Mosque, the Valide Sultan Tomb, Hünkâr Kasrı, fountain, fountain, primary school, darülkurra, and the Spice Bazaar were also built by participating in the project.

The mosque was built on the seaside, but its distance to the sea increased later as a result of the filling of the sea. Although it has similar characteristics to the Süleymaniye Mosque in terms of its external appearance, the pyramid-like rise of its dome is a unique feature.

Photo Source: https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeni_Cami