| Built between 1597 and 1663, the Yeni
(New) Mosque looms over the harbor at Eminonu, greeting the incoming ferryboat
sand welcoming tourists to the old city. Today its graceful domes and arches
shelter hundreds of pigeons who make this are a their home. It is one of the best- known sights of Istanbul. An elegant fountain for ablutions stands in large courtyard and the Sultan's kiosk is decorated with marvelous Iznik tiles.
HISTORY
Begun by Valide Safiye, mother of Mehmet III, in 1597, the foundations of this mosque were laid at the water's edge in a neighborhood slum whose inhabitants had to be paid to move out.
The building of the mosque dragged on for over 40 years due to water seepage, funding problems, embezzlement, and the death of the sultan, which temporarily shut down operations completely.
The mosque was completed by another queen mother, Valide Sultan Turhan Hattice, mother of Mehmet IV.
WHAT TO SEE
The New Mosque looms over the harbor at Eminonu, greeting the incoming ferryboats and welcoming tourists to the old city.
Its graceful domes and arches shelter hundreds of pigeons who make this area their home. Colorful Iznik tiles decorate what was once the sultan's balcony.
Valide Sultan Turhan Hattice is buried in the valide sultan's tomb in the courtyard along with sultans Mehmet IV, Mustafa II, Ahmet III, and Mahmut I.
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