I just saw some pictures of the renovation and man, was I dissapointed! I knew the Ortakoy Mosque was being renovated but had assumed that meant it would be covered by scaffolding, where you could at least see partly through the scaffolding. But the pictures I saw showed the mosque completely covered on all sides by bedsheet/canvas-style covering, from top to bottom!
OC or others who have recently been to Istanbul-do you know when the mosque's renovation is scheduled to be completed? While I did have the chance to briefly see the outside of the mosque last September on a Bosphorus cruise, I was SOOOO looking forward to seeing it up close, both outside and inside, while visiting Ortakoy on my trip later this month. I'll still plan to spend an evening in Ortakoy but will be very dissapointed to not see the mosque. OC or others--can you offer me any bit of good news??
Paging OC & Others--When will the Ortakoy Mosque Renovation be Completed?
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The restoration on Ortakoy mosque started mid May, 2011 and was expected to last one and a half years. it includes the pier and other landscaping outside the mosque as well as structural and artistic restoration and will at best be finished by November or December, 2012. But who knows?
here's the available information by the contractors with some good photographs of the work in progress:
http://gursoygrup.com.tr/index.php?s=gallery&id=61
Thank you OC. I am bummed about not being able to see or visit the mosque but I am still greatly looking forward to my trip!