Audio Narration
Construction Year:
1463
Location:
Fatih, İstanbul
Ordered by:
Veli Mahmud Pasha (The first janissary to be appointed as a Grand Vizier in Ottoman history)
Architect:
Unknown
- Changes after its construction
- It underwent a major repair during the reign of Sultan Osman III.
- An extensive renovation was carried out in the 18th century.
- The Sultan’s Lodge was added by Sultan Mahmud II in 1828-29.
- In 1936, the balcony of the minaret was changed from a stalactite structure to a flat structure.
- Some of the mihrabs and portico pillars on the exterior have also changed over time.
- Prominent features
- It has a single-wing main structure and its two large domes resemble Bursa mosques, but differ from them in their details. The middle dome at the entrance is designed with a cross vault (the structure that functions as a ceiling cover), and the domes on the sides are designed with 24 segments.
- The main domes of the mosque sit on the walls with spherical triangles. One of the side domes sits on an octagonal base. The corridors at the entrance are meticulously decorated with interior details.
- It has a single-balcony minaret. The first version of the minaret had a stalactite balcony and was brought to its current flat form in 1936.
- The portico arch heads, marble arches and mirrors remain from the first structure, but some of the portico pillars have been replaced and covered over time.
- The shrine, located behind the mosque, has an octagonal plan. The lower parts are made of limestone, while the upper parts are covered with turquoise and dark blue tiles. The shrine was built in 1463. It contains the graves of Ottoman royals.
- There are two dilapidated hermitages on the right and left sides of the mosque.
- It has an unorganized cemetery containing the graves of Ottoman courtiers.