Juniper
Nuruosmaniye Mosque
Everyone in the tour group were looking forward to our evening visit to Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. It was a chilly, windy evening and I had a lot of time to kill. I took a stroll around the shopping area near The Grand Bazaar and then crossed the street towards The Grand Bazaar Aong the path, I passed a beautiful Ottoman Baroque Mosque, Nuruosmaniye Mosque. It was built in the 18th century, and this style of architecture was new for its time.
The mosque was constructed at the request of Sultan Mahmud I. It was built by architect, Mustafa Aga and his apprentice, Simeon. Sultan Mahnud I passed away before the completion of the mosque and his successor, Sultan Osman III completed and opened the mosque. Nuruosmaniye Mosque is the first and the largest mosque ever built using the Baroque architectural style. The mosque comprises of a madrasa, an imaret (soup kitchen), a library, a tur be (tomb), a fountain and a sebil (public fountain).
Access to the mosque is provided by the high-rise marble stairs located in two main directions. Its harim (prayer hall) is covered by a single dome. Two arcaded corridors are located on both sides. Each corridor has an entrance to the harim. The main dome is 26m in diameter and is ornamented with 32 windows. One of the largest domes built in Ottoman mosques, the dome is supported by arches fitted on the walls.
The mosque is illuminated with 174 windows aligned in 5 rows. The courtyard of the mosque is designed in the shape of a horseshow, unique in Ottoman times. This is truly one of Istanbul’s most beautiful mosques. I sat in the vicinity of the mosque for almost 2 hours, listening to the call to prayer feeling peace and serenity.
