5 Beautiful Mosques To Visit In Istanbul

Straddling both Europe and Asia, it’s no surprise that Istanbul’s rich cultural heritage has had a huge influence on some of its most important architecture. With the minarets of around 3,000 mosques piercing Istanbul’s skyline, these places of worship are an integral part of the city. Here are the most beautiful mosques worth visiting on your trip.

* Blue Mosque

Probably Istanbul’s most famous mosque, the Blue Mosque is a hugely popular tourist attraction due to its striking bright-blue tile work. The last great mosque of the Ottoman classical period, this imposing 17th-century building is best seen from Sultanahmet Park, where the mosque’s six distinctive minarets mark its presence above the treetops. The mosque also faces Hagia Sophia – an engineering marvel considered to be the epitome of Byzantine architecture.

* Suleymaniye Mosque

This may not be the largest of Istanbul’s mosques, but it’s certainly one of the most beautiful. Just a 10-minute walk from the Grand Bazaar, this sublime piece of 16th-century architecture crowns the top of the Golden Horn, part of the city’s historical peninsula. It is an important building, designed by the Ottoman Empire’s most talented architect, Mimar Sinan, and created for the Ottoman’s most famous sultan, widely known as ‘Suleiman the Magnificent’. Don’t miss the ivory-inlaid panels in Suleiman’s tomb and the intricate tile work surrounding its entrance.

* Rustem Pasha Mosque

Also built by famous architect Sinan, this small but splendid mosque gives the Blue Mosque a run for its money when it comes to decorative ceramics. A real gem, Rüstem Paşa is covered in exquisite Iznik tiles, with no other mosque in the city using them quite so lavishly. The building was designed for Suleiman’s Grand Vizier and is set on top of a complex of vaulted shops, which were incorporated to support the complex financially, as well as physically. While it’s a little tricky to find (you’ll need to look up as it’s not on street level), it’s only a five-minute walk from the Spice Bazaar. You’ll find access steps on Hasırcılar Caddesi, or on a small street that runs north off Hasırcılar Caddesi towards the Golden Horn.

* Yeni Camii

Although its name suggests otherwise, this building in the Eminönü quarter of the city actually dates back to 1663. Found at the end of Istanbul’s famous Galata Bridge, the New Mosque took more than half a century to build, due to funding issues and political turmoil, and was designed by Sinan’s apprentice, Davut Ağa. It was the last of the imperial mosques to be built, taking influences from both the Blue Mosque and Süleymaniye Mosque. The ‘New Mosque’ boasts an opulent interior decorated with gold leaf, carved marble and Iznik tiles. Its silhouette has become an iconic part of Istanbul’s skyline.

* Sancaklar Mosque

Definitely ‘new’, the Sancaklar Mosque is one of Istanbul’s most striking and unusual contemporary mosques. The radical design was created by famous Turkish architect Emre Arolat, who reimagined the usually lavishly decorated mosque as an ultra-minimalistic space. The stepped stone building is carved into the hillside, adopting the contours of the landscape, while a subterranean prayer hall offers a simple yet dramatic cave-like space in which to pray and reflect. A single rectangular minaret is the only element of the building that announces its presence from a distance.