Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The preponderance of tiles was Rüstem Paşa's way of signalling his wealth and influen-
ce - İznik tiles being particularly expensive and desirable. It may not have assisted his
passage into the higher realm, though, because by all accounts he was a loathsome charac-
ter. His contemporaries dubbed him Kehle-i-Ikbal (the Louse of Fortune) because he was
found to be infected with lice on the eve of his marriage to Mihrimah, Süleyman's favour-
ite daughter. He is best remembered for plotting with Roxelana to turn Süleyman against
his favourite son, Mustafa. They were successful and Mustafa was strangled in 1553 on
his father's orders.
The mosque is easy to miss because it's not at street level. There's a set of access stairs
on Hasırcılar Caddesi and another on the small street that runs right (north) off Hasırcılar
Caddesi towards the Golden Horn.
NEW MOSQUE
OFFLINE MAP
| MOSQUE
(Yeni Camii; Yenicamii Meydanı Sokak, Eminönü; Eminönü)
Only in İstanbul would a 400-year-
old mosque be called 'New'. Dating from 1597, its design references both the Blue
Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque, with a large forecourt and a square sanctuary sur-
mounted by a series of semidomes crowned by a grand dome. The interior is richly decor-
ated with gold leaf, coloured İznik tiles and carved marble.
Originally commissioned by Valide Sultan Safiye, mother of Sultan Mehmet III, it was
completed six sultans later in 1663 by order of Valide Sultan Turhan Hadice, mother of
Sultan Mehmet IV.
The site had earlier been 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.
The mosque was created after Ottoman architecture had reached its peak. Consequently,
even its tiles are slightly inferior products, the late 17th century having seen a diminution
in the quality of the products coming out of the İznik workshops. You will see this if you
compare these tiles with the exquisite examples found in the nearby Rüstem Paşa Mosque,
which are from the high period of İznik tilework. Nonetheless, it is a popular working
mosque and a much-loved adornment to the city skyline.
Across the road from the mosque you will find the tomb of Valide Sultan Turhan
Hadice, who completed construction of the New Mosque. Buried with her are no fewer
than six sultans, including her son Mehmet IV, plus dozens of imperial princes and prin-
cesses.
