Üsküdar's Mosques from the Pier to Çamlıca Hill

For anyone arriving by ferry, the first large building in view is the Yeni Valide Mosque just behind the pier square. It was commissioned by Gülnuş Emetullah Sultan, mother of Ahmed III; work began in November 1708 and the mosque was completed in March 1711. Its architect is not known for certain, although some studies name Kayserili Mehmed Ağa. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam sees the complex as a meeting point between the end of the classical period and the taste of the Tulip Era.

The first thing you notice in the courtyard is its size: unlike classical examples, the square courtyard is larger than the prayer hall, with an octagonal ablution fountain in the middle. Pass through the five-bay portico and you will see the central dome resting on an octagonal support system, with side aisles on either side and galleries on three sides. The tiles around the mihrab are Kütahya work, and the royal lodge sits to the left of the mihrab like a balcony on brackets. Two minarets, each with two balconies, frame the courtyard entrance.

On your way out look at the outer walls, which carry some of the earliest known bird houses of their kind. Gülnuş Emetullah Sultan, buried here in 1715, lies in a tomb covered by a cage-like dome and enclosed by bronze grilles, so you can see inside through the openings. The polygonal sebil of 1709 and the finely carved fountain also belong to the complex, and the inscriptions were written by leading calligraphers of the day.

Check the time before going in and postpone your visit during prayers. Remove your shoes at the entrance; women should cover their hair and shoulders and knees should be covered. Speak quietly inside and do not photograph people at prayer.

Source: TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi; Wikipedia.

From Yeni Valide walk towards the shore and climb the ridge above the Şemsi Paşa Mosque. Standing in the neighbourhood that bears its name, the Rum Mehmed Paşa Mosque is one of the oldest surviving mosques in Üsküdar. It was built by Rum Mehmed Paşa, who briefly served as grand vizier under Mehmed II; the two-couplet Arabic inscription over the door gives, by the abjad system, the year 876, that is 1471-72.

What makes the building interesting is the way Ottoman and Byzantine building traditions sit side by side. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam lists the use of brick, the undulating eaves and the round drum of the dome as features that recall Byzantine religious architecture. Look up at the dome from outside: the rounded drum and the brick in the arches look different from Ottoman mosques of the same years. The plan belongs to the group of mosques with side rooms for travellers and forms an inverted T; the central dome is supported by a half dome towards the mihrab and the side rooms have small domes. The minaret is attached to the west wall, with muqarnas carving below its balcony.

Of the original complex of mosque, tomb, madrasa, bath and soup kitchen, only the mosque and the tomb survive. The octagonal domed tomb in the small graveyard behind the qibla wall is accepted as that of Rum Mehmed Paşa. The portico was redesigned during the 1953 restoration.

This is a neighbourhood mosque and its door may be closed between prayers. If so, study the exterior and the graveyard. If you can go in, take off your shoes, dress modestly, keep quiet and wait to one side if the congregation is praying.

Source: TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi; Wikipedia.

A few streets along the Salacak slopes from Rum Mehmed Paşa you reach the Ayazma Mosque, recognisable from afar by its semicircular staircase. Mustafa III built it in the name of his mother Mihrişah Emine Sultan and his elder brother Prince Süleyman. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, work began on 29 March 1758 and ended in January 1761; the site was previously occupied by the Ayazma Palace, which gave the mosque its name. The encyclopedia notes that the building superintendent was İshak Ağa, the man behind the well-known square fountain in Beykoz, while sources give different names for the architect.

The mosque carries the marks of the Ottoman baroque. A semicircular flight of ten steps leads up to the portico, and it is the most memorable part of the facade. Inside, the rectangular prayer hall is covered by a single dome resting on four arches. The mihrab, minbar and preacher's chair combine marble with a range of coloured stones; look closely to see how the pieces are fitted together. A royal pavilion adjoins the left side of the mosque, and there is a gallery with gilded decoration.

Outside, look at the small brackets on the walls: they carry bird houses shaped like miniature pavilions. A large marble fountain stands in one corner of the wall around the wide courtyard. The minaret collapsed and has been rebuilt twice, and after an extensive restoration the mosque reopened for worship in August 2022.

You can take photographs on the stairs and in the courtyard, but respect people at prayer inside. Finish your visit before prayer time, take off your shoes and dress modestly.

Source: TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi; Wikipedia.

From Ayazma, an uphill walk of almost a kilometre and a half as the crow flies towards Toptaşı brings you to the richest stop on the route. The Atik Valide complex was commissioned from Mimar Sinan between 1570 and 1579 by Nurbanu Sultan, consort of Selim II and mother of Murad III. Its buildings are set in terraces on a slope that falls away to the north towards the Çavuşderesi valley. Known at first simply as the Valide Sultan complex, it became the Old, or Atik, Valide once Gülnuş Emetullah Sultan built her new complex on the pier square.

The mosque reached its present form in three stages. The verse inscription on the door gives the date 1583; in 1582-1583 the prayer hall was enlarged with domed aisles to the east and west, and under Mahmud II a royal apartment and lodge were added. The central dome, about 13 metres across and set on a hexagonal plan, is supported by five half domes, and galleries wrap around the prayer hall on the west, east and north.

Start in the courtyard. Arcades made up of thirty-eight domed bays enclose it on three sides, a polygonal ablution fountain rises in the centre and four fountains are set into the courtyard wall. Inside, the Iznik tiles are concentrated around the mihrab; on the panels either side of it you will see tulips and carnations in white, coral red and dark green on a deep blue ground. Note the muqarnas hood of the white marble mihrab and the delicate pierced railings of the minbar.

Over the centuries the hospital, madrasa and other parts of the complex served as everything from barracks to a prison. Take off your shoes, dress modestly and do not visit during prayers.

Source: TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi; İBB Kültürel Miras; Wikipedia.

A few hundred metres east of Atik Valide, on Çinili Mescid Street in the Murat Reis quarter, you come to the smallest mosque on the route and the most colourful inside. It was commissioned by Kösem Mahpeyker Valide Sultan, and the inscriptions show that the complex was built in 1640. Its architect is thought to have been Kasım Ağa, chief court architect of the time. Besides the mosque, the complex includes a madrasa, a sebil, an ablution fountain, a double bath, a primary school and a fountain.

The mosque is square in plan and covered by a single dome. The portico has marble columns of octagonal section, and a fluted minaret with one balcony stands at the right-hand corner. Step inside and the name, which means tiled, explains itself: the prayer hall is covered in tiles from the floor up to the upper windows, the mihrab included. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam describes them as Kütahya work, with peonies, tulips and hyacinths in blue, turquoise and green painted under the glaze on a white ground, and counts them among the last examples of classical Ottoman tile art. Note that the conical cap of the marble minbar is tiled as well.

The decoration of the dome and pendentives was renewed in 1938, the minaret was repaired by the General Directorate of Foundations in 1965, and the mosque went through a restoration completed in 2018. The double bath with separate sections for men and women is also part of the complex.

The mosque is small, so even a few visitors can fill it; if you are in a group, go in turns. Do not touch the tiles or use a flash. Avoid prayer times, remove your shoes and women should cover their hair.

Source: TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi; Wikipedia.

The last stop is the Büyük Çamlıca Mosque, which shows how the same tradition is interpreted at today's scale. The road from Çinili up Çamlıca Hill is long and steep, so take a bus or a taxi. Construction began in 2013 and the mosque opened for worship in 2019; the National Palaces administration describes it as the largest mosque in Istanbul and in Turkey. According to Wikipedia, the original design was by the architects Hayriye Gül Totu and Bahar Mızrak.

The dimensions are large. The same source gives the dome as 34 metres across and 72 metres high; four of the six minarets rise to 107.1 metres and two to 90 metres, and the mosque is designed for 63,000 worshippers at once. Those figures explain the silhouette you see from many parts of the city as you climb. Inside, look at the calligraphy on the inner surface of the dome and at how the vast prayer hall is lit; comparing it with the elements you saw in the classical mosques earlier in the day is what makes the visit worthwhile.

The complex is more than a mosque, with a library, an art gallery, a conference hall and art workshops. The Museum of Islamic Civilisations, run by the National Palaces administration, opened here on 8 April 2022. Across 10,000 square metres of indoor space it shows works from the 7th to the 19th centuries, drawn from collections such as Topkapı Palace, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts and the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, in fifteen sections on themes that include the Kaaba, calligraphy, Turkish tiles and science in Islam. The museum is closed on Mondays; check current hours and tickets on the official website.

Prayer times matter here too, and the mosque is very crowded for Friday and holiday prayers. Follow the dress and shoe rules and keep your voice down inside.

Source: Milli Saraylar; T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı; Wikipedia.