Camlica Hill and Camlica Mosque

Camlica Mosque is a recent building. It opened in 2019, it is Turkey's largest mosque, and its six minarets are visible from a large part of the city. What makes it worth the trip is the combination: a vast modern mosque designed in the classical Ottoman manner, on a hill that ranks among the highest points in Istanbul, with the Bosphorus spread out beneath. Neither costs anything to visit.

Quick facts

Background

People have come to Camlica Hill to picnic and enjoy the view for hundreds of years. Ottoman sultans had pavilions on the slopes, and generations of Istanbul families have climbed up for tea with a view. For many decades the hill was also packed with TV and radio masts. These made way for one structure, the Camlica TV Tower, which opened in 2021 a little way off and has paid observation decks of its own.

Work on the mosque ran from 2013 to 2019 on the upper part of the hill. Its design takes directly from Sinan and the classical Ottoman mosques: a big central dome, half domes stepping down from it, a courtyard ringed by arcades and slender pencil minarets. What is new is the size. Inside the complex are a museum, an art gallery, a library, a conference hall and a car park beneath the courtyard.

What to see

• The prayer hall. Blue, white and gold decorate the main dome. The chandelier, calligraphy and stained glass were all made recently by Turkish craftspeople. Above all, you notice how enormous the room is.
• The courtyard. A broad court lined with arcades around a central fountain. Come in the afternoon, when the light falls at an angle across the arches.
• The Museum of Islamic Civilizations. Below the mosque, showing manuscripts, ceramics and metalwork. Its hours and prices are not the same as the mosque's.
• The view. On a clear day the terraces and the park on the hilltop look out on both Bosphorus bridges, the skyline of the Old City and the Princes' Islands to the south.

When to go

The quietest visits are on weekday mornings, when the mosque is nearly empty outside prayer times. For the view towards the European side, late afternoon light is best. Turkish families arrive in large numbers on weekends and religious holidays. Expect wind on the hilltop and temperatures a few degrees lower than in the city, so take an extra layer except in summer.

The Istanbul Asian Side Private Tour with Beylerbeyi Palace is an eight-hour private day that takes in Camlica Hill and Camlica Mosque, Beylerbeyi Palace, Kuzguncuk and Uskudar, from US$450. For a longer journey, our 12 Days Best of Turkey Private Tour stops at Camlica Hill as well.

Reading the panorama

When the air is clear, the upper terraces show most of Istanbul. Look west for the Bosphorus Bridge and the European shore between Ortakoy and Besiktas, with the Levent towers rising behind. To the south-west, the Old City skyline sits across the water: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Southwards, the Sea of Marmara stretches out towards the Princes' Islands. In summer haze often blurs the opposite shore; the clearest views come on autumn and winter days after rain.

Getting there

No metro station serves the hilltop. A taxi from Uskudar pier is simplest and takes around 15 minutes. Alternatively, ride the M5 metro from Uskudar to Kisikli and walk uphill for about 20 minutes. Tour vehicles and private cars can stop at the mosque car park.

Tips

• Remove your shoes at the entrance; plastic bags are available.
• Because the mosque is so big, you can move around quietly even when it is busy.
• Photos are fine, but do not photograph people at prayer.
• Pair Camlica with Beylerbeyi Palace or the Kuzguncuk waterfront, each a short drive down the hill.
• The TV tower is a different attraction with a separate ticket, so do not mix them up.

Sights on both shores are listed on our Istanbul destination page.

Frequently Asked Questions