From the Galata Bridge to Haghia Sophia - Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City - page 21

abdest, or ritual ablutions, before entering the mosque to pray. But in
Yeni Cami the şadırvan serves merely a decorative purpose, and the
ritual washings are performed at water-taps along the south wall of
the mosque.
The stone dais on that side of the courtyard which borders
the mosque is called the son cemaat yeri, literally the place of last
assembly. Latecomers to the Friday noon service when the mosque is
full often perform their prayers on this porch, usually in front of one
of the two niches which are set to either side of the door. The façade
of the building under the porch is decorated with tiles and faience
inscriptions forming a frieze. The two central columns of the portico,
which frame the entrance to the mosque, are of a most unusual and
beautiful marble not seen elsewhere in the city.
The interior of Yeni Cami is somewhat disappointing, partly
because the mosque is darkened by the soot which has accumulated
on its windows. What is more, the tiles which decorate the interior are
of a quality inferior to those in earlier mosques, the celebrated Iznik
tiles of the period 1555-1620. Nevertheless, the interior furnishings
of the mosque are quite elegant in detail. The most important part of
the interior of Yeni Cami, as in all mosques, is the mihrab, a niche set
into the centre of the wall opposite the main entrance. The purpose
of the mihrab is to indicate the kıble, the direction of Mecca, towards
which the faithful must face when they perform their prayers. (In
Istanbul the direction of the kıble is approximately south-east, but for
convenience we will refer to it as east, the general orientation of the
Christian churches of the city.) In the great mosques of Istanbul the
mihrab is invariably quite grand, with the niche itself made of finely
carved and sculptured marble and with the adjacent wall sheathed in
ceramic tiles. The mihrab in Yeni Cami is ornamented with gilded
stalactites and flanked with two enormous golden candles, which are
lighted on the holy nights of the Islamic year. To the right of the
mihrab we see the mimber, or pulpit, which is surmounted by a tall,
conical-topped canopy carried on marble columns. At the time of
the noon prayer on Friday the imam, or preacher, mounts the steps
of the mimber and pronounces the weekly sermon, or hutbe. To the
left of the mihrab, standing against the main pier on that side, we