Fatih Mosque and Complex

Fatih Mosque and Complex is a building that will amaze you with its brilliance as soon as you see it. Located in the heart of the Fatih district of Istanbul, on Fevzi Pasa Street, the building also gives its name to the region where it is located.

The Fatih Mosque and Complex was built by the Ottoman sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, who conquered Istanbul and later took the title of "Conqueror". The mosque and complex, completed in 1470, constitute an example of urban planning so to say, with its large courtyard, large mosque, eight madrasahs focused on higher education, a tabhane (an institution in Ottoman times which functioned as a house of rest) where food is distributed to the needy, a support-based almshouse, hospital, caravanserai, ottoman elementary-primary school, library, and bath.

Compared to Hagia Sophia, its mosque was destroyed as a result of the great earthquake in 1766. The place of worship, which was asked to be rebuilt by Sultan Mustafa III without wasting time, was completed in 1771 and reopened as a result of hard work. The remaining places from the first state of the complex consist of the portal, the parts of the minarets up to the first balcony and the mihrab. The magnificent mosque courtyard and the mosque itself, adjacent to the portal, in the Fatih Mosque and Complex, which has been repaired and restored again, draw attention.

The large dome of the mosque with a diameter of 26 meters, the half-dome of the same diameter to the east supporting it, its fountain, panels, decorations, arches, and the corridors to the north and south are among the highlights. In the part called hunkar mahfili, where the sultans perform the salaat, there are tea offerings from time to time in order to spread Turkish hospitality today.

You can see the baroque style tomb of Mehmed the Conqueror and classical style tomb of Gulbahar, who is his wife, in the cemetery behind the mosque. You can explore the library built by Mahmut II, the madrasahs that are exactly the same as the original, and the stunning 46-domed tabhane with its successful restoration. Also, here, opposite the tabhane, you can also visit the baroque-empire style building and the attractive tomb of Naksidil Valide Sultan, the wife of Sultan Abdulhamid I. Hosting other tombs, The Fatih Mosque and Complex are among the morally important places of the city.