OTTOMAN IMPERIAL MOSQUES
Ottoman sultans or other members of the dynasty commissioned these historic monuments. They were usually built as a külliye, a complex of buildings with a mosque in the centre, surrounded with madrasas, kitchens and other buildings for various charitable services for the poor.
The biggest are the 16th and 17th century complexes, although mosques built in the 18th and 19th century are equally significant. Fatih Sultan Mehmed constructed two big mosques in the 15th century, right after he conquered Constantinople. But these two original structures were destroyed by earthquakes or fires and were rebuilt at a later date.
The chief imperial architect Mimar Sinan constructed most of the existent complexes in Istanbul. The master architect of the Ottoman Empire for 50 years, he set the pattern for other külliye architects.
Many Ottoman imperial mosques are in other cities in Turkey. Bursa was the first proper capital of the Ottoman Empire and some historically very important religious temples are there. Other Ottoman imperial mosques are in Edirne, Konya, Amasya, Manisa and even in Damascus.
YENI VALIDE MOSQUE
The same as some other Ottoman imperial mosques in Istanbul, this mosque has two names. The sign at the entrance to the mosque shows the name Vâlide-İ Cedid Mosque. Otherwise, the other name is the Yeni Valide Mosque. This is the same as the Blue Mosque, the most famous of all mosques in Istanbul, which is in fact the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.
This mosque is in Üsküdar, on the Asian side of Istanbul. I went to Üsküdar for the first time during my stay in Istanbul in 2019. I also visited the Yeni Valide Mosque for the first time. There were no foreign tourists in the mosque, only a handful of worshippers.
What I particularly like when I visit places like this one is that I learn something completely new. My knowledge of the 18th and 19th century Ottoman history, and especially of this mosque, was non-existent. But I read about it, so that I know what I was visiting.
I also think that it’s important to put everything in its proper historical context. Of course, there is no need to learn the most minute details, far from that. Usually, a bit of information is perfectly sufficient. After all, there is so much history in the world and it’s impossible to learn and know everything.
Sultan Ahmed III ordered construction of this mosque in honour of his mother Emetullah Râbi’a Gülnûş Sultan.
The mosque opened in 1711. In fact, it was a complex that consisted of a mosque, a hospice, arasta (shops built beneath or close to the mosque to provide income for repairs and maintenance), a primary school, a courtyard fountain, a clock tower and offices.
The building is typical of the classical Ottoman period represented by the “Sinan school” of the religious architecture. In fact, it’s a copy of the Rüstem Pasha Mosque.
What’s also interesting about this mosque is that it’s one of the earliest examples of the 18th century trend when they started to construct mosques with higher and narrower domes.
GÜLNUŞ SULTAN
Gülnuş Sultan was Haseki Sultan (wife) of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV. Additionally, she was Valide Sultan (queen mother) when her two sons became sultans – Mustafa II and Ahmed III.
Gülnuş Sultan was born in Crete, at the time when the Venetian Republic ruled the island. Her original name was Evmania Voria and she was an ethnic Greek. The Ottomans captured her during the invasion of Crete in 1645.
She was three years old when, as a slave, she was sent to Constantinople. She lived in a harem of the Topkapi Palace, where she received the thorough Islamic education. It was in the harem that she caught the attention of Sultan Mehmed IV.
She became Valide Sultan when her older son, Mustafa II, became a sultan in 1695. She held that powerful position until her death in 1715. At the time of her death, her younger son Ahmed III was the sultan.
That was a bit of a history about the woman that had this complex built in her name. As I said, the proper historical context makes things much easier to understand and appreciate.
Another interesting fact is that, in the Ottoman empire, slaves could reach powerful positions. This particular slave woman was the sultan’s wife and mother of two sultans of the Ottoman empire. Although, she came to prominence after the Sultanate of Women era had ended.
YENI VALIDE MOSQUE – OTTOMAN JEWEL
If you go to Üsküdar, make sure to visit this mosque. As I mentioned at the beginning of this text, it’s next to the iconic Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, within a short walking distance from the port.
But don’t confuse this mosque with the Atik Valide Mosque, also in Üsküdar. The Atik Valide Complex, built in the name of Nurbanu Sultan, was one of the biggest in Istanbul at the time. Initially, they called it Valide Camii or Valide Mosque. However, when Sultan Ahmet III built the Yeni Valide Mosque, people started to call the older structure Eski Valide, Atik Valide or valide-I Atik Mosque. Like that, they could distinguish between these two religious buildings.
In fact you should visit all these mosques during your exploration of Üsküdar. The Çinili Mosque, built in the name of Kösem Sultan, is not far from these historic monuments either.
Certainly, the beautiful Yeni Valide Mosque is one more jewel of the Ottoman heritage in Istanbul.
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