The New Queen Mother's Mosque (Yeni Valide Camii, or just plain Yeni Camii)

Frommer's Review

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. Designed by the architect Da'ud Aga, a pupil of Sinan, the Yeni Camii has become a defining feature of Istanbul's skyline.

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, who is buried in the valide sultan's tomb in the courtyard. Also buried in the tomb of Turhan Hattice are sultans Mehmet IV, Mustafa II, Ahmet III, and Mahmut I.

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