Designed by the great architect Sinan, it was sponsored by Princess Esmahan, the daughter of Sultan Selim II.
This stunning house of Allah swt is in the heart of tourist Istanbul but hidden away in the backstreets therefore mostly inhabited by local Istanbullas.
There’s a madrassa attached to the actual mosque building, and the teachers and students are always extremely hospitable to visitors. I’d recommend you visit after Jumaah (Friday prayers) which is when the students finish for the day, and take a quick peep inside. It’s amazing to think that the Quran has been taught in these rooms for over 500 years and continues to be taught to this day.
The courtyard and exterior is typical of Sinan’s style but it’s the interior that remarkably outshines all the other mosques of Istanbul.
Framed in gold above the entrance of the mosque is a fragment from the sacred Black stone in the Kaaba at Mecca. Another fragment can be seen in the mimbar, and two in the mihrab.
Any Muslim can tell you, that people trample over each other in attempt a just glimpse this holy stone in Mecca. To be able to see it, (and touch it if your tall enough) here in Istanbul is incredible.
The Iznik tiles in this mosque are ‘the best tiles ever made’ and instantly you will be able to tell they are far superior to of any other mosque in Istanbul.
The marble pillars by the mihrab were actually one of the first set of instruments designed to inspire the ‘Richtor magnitude scale’ (seismic energy released by an earthquake). The pillars are designed to revolve if the foundations of the mosque have been unbalanced due to an earthquake!
For map of the mosque: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=sehit%20cesmesi%20sokak
Aerial View
The Mihrab
The Madrassa
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment