Bali Paşa Mosque
- Changes the building has undergone since its construction
- The mosque suffered serious damage in disasters such as fire and earthquake in 1633 and 1893, and its great dome collapsed.
- It was restored by Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi in 1935-1936; however, the main dome was made of reinforced concrete at a height that was not appropriate for the style of the period.
- In 1965, the Directorate General of Foundations completed the narthex.
- It underwent another comprehensive restoration in 2007 and was opened for worship in 2008.
- Prominent features of the mosque
- The square planned mosque has a single dome and a five-domed narthex supported by six columns. The main dome is 12 meters in diameter and is accessed by pendentives. The mosque is made of cut limestone and has the characteristics of classical Ottoman architecture.
- In the interior, buttresses carry the wooden railed gallery balcony at the top. The dome and its surroundings are decorated with Quranic verses and hadiths. There is a large window in the middle of the four walls and two small round windows on the sides.
- At the main gate of the mosque facing the qibla, there is a niche with rich muqarnas and an arch of bicoloured stones. To the right of the gate is the minaret, and to the left is the entrance to the gallery.
- The interior decorations, the mihrab, the minbar and the preacher’s pulpit brought from Hagia Sophia, were added during the restorations.
