Yeldeğirmeni Mosque

Yeldeğirmeni mosque, which is also known as’ Abdülkerim Efendi Masjid', was first built by Sultan's Imam Abdulkerim Efendi in 1591. The Imam of Sultan was called the imams who leaded prays of the Sultan. In the following centuries, in 1889, it is recorded that it was rebuilt by Sabiha Hanım, the daughter of the naval commander of the period, that is Commander of Naval Forces.

At the entrance of the mosque, on the left side, there is the place for muezzin that is a high platform where the muezzin recites adhan and maqam prayers for glorifying. It has a marble mihrab and a sermon podium, where the imam stands while praying for the congregation, as well as a pulpit whose stairs are painted in gilding, although they look like marble. The pulpit is a stair structure where sermons are recited in mosques. It has a very simple architecture with a single balcony and a short minaret.

An interesting event related to the Yeldeğirmeni mosque is the event in which the person who built it, Abdulkerim Efendi, took the title of ‘Maymunkeş Abdulkerim Efendi’. When the Ottoman Empire conquered the North African countries, there were monkeys brought to Istanbul, even fed by concubines in the Sultan's harem. It is stated in the sources that the reason why concubines feed these monkeys is to see the monkeys are very ugly and thank God for their beauty. Abdulkerim Efendi, on the other hand, had these monkeys destroyed based on the justification that they were used for entertainment and he was given the forename ‘Maymunkeş’.