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 A spacious outer courtyard surrounds this vast Baroque mosque, which is the third major structure on this site. The first was the Church of the Holy Apostles , the burial place of most of the Byzantine emperors. When Mehmet the Conqueror came to construct a mosque here, the church's crumbling remains provided a symbolic location. But the first Fatih Mosque collapsed in an earthquake in 1766, and most of what you see today was the work of Mehmet Tahir Ağa, the chief imperial architect under Mustafa III. Many of the buildings he constatcted around the prayer hall, including eight Koranic colleges (medresesi and a hospice, still stand.
The only parts of Mehmet the Conqueror's mosque to have survived are the three porticoes of the courtyard, the ablutions fountain, the main gate into the prayer hall and, inside, the mihrab. Two exquisite forms of 15th-century decoration can be seen over the windows in the porticoes: İznik tiles made using the cuerda seen technique and lunettes adorned with calligraphic marble inlay.
Inside the prayer hall, stencilled patterns decorate the domes, while the lower level of the walls is revetted with yet more tiles - although these are inferior to those used in the porticoes.
The tomb of Mehmet the Conqueror stands behind the prayer hall, near that of his consort Gülbahar. His sarcophagus and turban are both appropriately large. It is a place of enormous gravity, always busy with supplicants.
If you pay a visit to the mosque on a Wednesday, you will also see the weekly market which turns the streets around it into a circus of commerce. From tables piled high with fruit and vegetables to lorries loaded with unspun wool, this is a real spectacle, even if you don't buy anything. (s1)
The complex extends along the Golden Horn side of Fevzi Paşa Street in Fatih. Sultan Mehmed, the Conqueror had the complex constructed by the architect, Atik Sinan, in the years 1463-1470. It was the largest example of Turkish-Islamic architecture to that date and represented an important stage in the development of classic Turkish architecture.
The complex includes a set of well-planned buildings constructed around a mosque. They include: a medresse, a library, a hospital, a hospice, a caravanserai, a market, a hamam and various tombs which were added at a later date.
The original mosque at the center of the complex no longer . Fatih Mosque you now see was built near the end of the 18. century The first mosque was badly damaged in the 1509 earthquake, repaired, but was then damaged again by earthquakes in 1557 and 1754 and repaired yet again. In the earthquake of 1766, However, the main dome collapsed and the walls were irreparably damaged. Sultan Mustafa III had a new and completely different mosque built on the site in 1767. The present day mosque was designed by the architect, Mimar Mehmed Tahir.
latin Mosque was constructed in the classic mosque style, but I In- Baroque influence can be seen in the decorations. A large dome .'(I meters in diameter is supported by four half-domes and rests upon lour large marble columns. There are two minarets each with I win galleries. The calligraphy within the mosque exhibits a Baroque influence. The other important element of the complex are the medresses. Situated on both sides of the mosque, they were the Inundation of Istanbul s universities and ensured the city's place as a center of education. The medresses underwent various repairs, but were partially destroyed as a result of road construction; eight of them survive to this day. On the kiblah (Mecca) side of the mosque, connected to it, stands a library which was built in 1724. The library is domed and one of its doors opens onto the street, while the other two open onto the inner courtyard of the mosque. The library is presently undergoing repairs, and the books are under protection at the Suleymaniye Library. On the kiblah side of the complex are the tombs of Fatih Sultan Mehmed (the Conqueror), his wife, Gullbahar Halun, and Sultan Mahmud II’s mother, Naksidil Sultan. Other than the tombs, a large number of graves belonging to leading state officials can be found in the enclosed cemetery.
The caravanserai in the complex was repaired in the 1980s and combined with new shops to begin functioning as a workplace.
The hospital, market and hamam belonging to the complex no longer exist. (s2)
It is the first imperial mosque that was constructed after the conquest of Istanbul. During the Byzantine Period, there was the St. Apostoli Church on the 4th hill which is the site of Fatih Mosque today. At the 10rtl anniversary of the conquest Fatih Sultan Mehmed (the conqueror) ordered the construction of a new complex for culture and prayer in stead of this church, which would carry his name. His intention was to revive and compete the tradition of monumental buildings of Byzantine period. The construction of the first Fatih Mosque and its large complex lasted for 8 years. Its architect was Atik Sinan of Greek origin. Some of the literature state the architect as Greek architect Christodulos. It was the largest mosque in Istanbul till the construction of Suieymaniye. The diameter of its dome is 26 m and its height is 50 m. Much of the material of the church was used in the construction. The Fatih complex was the first Ottoman university in Istanbul. There were many madrasahs, libraries, primary schools, charity establishments, caravansaries, cooking houses, hospitals and bathrooms in the complex.
The mosque was thoroughly damaged after the great earthquake in 1766 and the new Fatih Mosque was constructed until 1771. Sultan Mustafa III undertook the costs of the construction. The architect of the mosque is famous Mehmet Tahir Agha.
The dome of the new mosque was seated upon the arches carried by 4 main columns. At each side of the main dome there is a semi-dome, at each corner of the building there is a small dome.
The minarets each having one balcony were partially deconstructed and new, higher ones with two balconies were constructed instead. The main niche is of baroque style. There is a fountain for drinking water inside the mosque, which is an unusual ornament.
A portico with 22 columns surround the narthex. This portico is seated upon 16 granite columns. Of these columns, 6 are red granite, 8 are green porphyry, and 2 are dark colored granite.
The Arabic script calligraphy panels by the courtyard entrance are very beautiful. These are written on marble and tile panels. In the courtyard there are the tombs of Gulbahar Sultan, wife of Fatih Sultan Mehmed (the conqueror) and Gazi Osman Pasha, the hero of Ottoman-Russian War between 1877-1878.
There is KIZTAŞI on the street opposite the main road in front of the Fatih Mosque. Its height is 17 m. In fact, this is the Marcias column standing at the center of a square during the Byzantine era. When we leave the Fatih Mosque and walk toward Land Walls and enter Yavuz Selim Street, we come across Selimiye Mosque, one of the most important mosques in Istanbul. (s4)
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