Yeni Cami (New Mosque)

Yeni Cami (New Mosque) Review

A dominant feature of the Istanbul skyline, thanks to its prime spot on the Eminönü waterfront, the "new mosque" is known as much for its history as its architecture. Its location, rising out of the Golden Horn, presented formidable engineering challenges to the former apprentice to Sinan who laid the waterlogged foundations in 1597. Due to sultans' deaths and complicated harem politics, it was not until 1663 that the project was finally completed, by the queen mother at the time: Turhan Hatice (who is buried in a mausoleum behind the mosque with her son, Mehmet IV, and several succeeding sultans). The entrance to the courtyard from the main square offers a marvelous view of the small domes and semidomes—66 in all—that appear to cascade down around the main dome, flanked by two minarets. Inside, almost every square inch of the interior is decorated—from the elaborate, multicolored Iznik tiles to the intricately painted domes—while numerous windows, including in the wall of the mihrab(prayer niche), fill the mosque with light.