Fatih Mosque

A frequent error: plenty of visitors think the mosque of Mehmed the Conqueror is among the well-known domes of Sultanahmet. It isn't. You'll find it on the fourth hill of the old city, in Fatih, a lively and conservative district named after him. The original mosque here was the biggest Ottoman building of its day. What stands now replaced it in the 18th century, and the Conqueror is buried in a tomb behind it.

Quick facts

History

Once he had captured Constantinople in 1453, Mehmed II picked the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles for his imperial mosque. Byzantine emperors had been buried in that church since the time of Constantine the Great. Between 1463 and 1470 the architect Atik Sinan raised the mosque together with a vast complex: eight madrasas, a caravanserai, a hospital, a library, a soup kitchen and baths.

A powerful earthquake in 1766 collapsed the dome. Sultan Mustafa III rebuilt the mosque by 1771 on a different plan, with a central dome resting on four half domes instead of the original layout. Some of the first building survives, among it the main gate, the courtyard and the bottom sections of the minarets. So the present mosque combines a 15th-century courtyard with an 18th-century prayer hall.

In 1481 Mehmed II was laid to rest in a tomb behind the mosque. The tomb you see today was also built after the earthquake. Gulbahar Hatun, his wife and the mother of Bayezid II, lies in a smaller tomb close by.

What to see

• The prayer hall. A light-filled space beneath a central dome and four half domes, painted during later restorations.
• The courtyard. Surrounded by arcades and dating from the 15th-century mosque, with old plane and cypress trees around a domed fountain at the centre.
• The tomb of Mehmed II. A Baroque tomb with a dome, in the garden, where the Conqueror lies. Many Turkish visitors stop here to pray.
• The complex. Sections of the old madrasas still border the square around the mosque, and schools and foundations use some of them today.

The Wednesday market

Every Wednesday, the streets of the nearby Carsamba neighbourhood host one of the largest open-air markets in Istanbul. You can buy cheese, fruit, vegetables, clothes and household goods. The mood is busy, the prices low and the crowd mostly local. The streets and hours change, so check before going or ask your hotel.

Best time to visit

Weekday late mornings are quiet. On Fridays, worshippers fill the mosque. This is a conservative area, so take extra care with clothing. Pair the mosque with the Wednesday market for the clearest picture of daily life in the old city.

Fatih Mosque is not named on any of our tours. A private guide on the Best of Istanbul Private Guided Tour can add it to a day in the Golden Horn districts, from US$199 per day. The Private Istanbul Heritage Tour: Ottoman & Byzantine Highlights concentrates on the major Ottoman and Byzantine monuments over six to eight hours, from US$200, and your guide can build in a stop here.

Getting there

City buses go to Fatih from both Aksaray and Eminonu. On foot from the Suleymaniye Mosque, it is around 20 minutes heading west, past the Valens Aqueduct. Chora Church lies a further 20-minute walk past Fatih.

Tips

• Look at the Valens Aqueduct, a 4th-century Roman water channel, as you pass.
• Eat at the plain neighbourhood restaurants around the square: home-style stews for much less than in Sultanahmet.
• In the Wednesday market crowds, watch your belongings.
• Photography is fine in the courtyard; indoors, don't photograph worshippers.
• Add Chora Church on the same day to see its Byzantine mosaics.

Frequently Asked Questions