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The Nusretiye Mosque (Nusretiye Camii) is a Baroque mosque in the Tophane area of the Beyoğlu district in Istanbul, Turkey.
History
A wooden mosque, the Coachmen’s Barracks Mosque (Arabacılar Kışlası Camisi), once stood on the site of the Nusretiye Mosque. It was built at the end of the 17th century under Selim III and burned down on February 24, 1823.
Mahmud II commissioned the new mosque, which was designed by Ottoman Armenian architect Krikor Balyan. It was built between 1823 and 1826 and is named for Mahmud II’s victory over the Janissaries, an elite infantry unit dating back to reign of Murad I in the mid-14th century. On June 16, 1826, up to 8,000 Janissaries were massacred, brutally ending the unit’s existence. When it was built, the Nusretiye Mosque sat on the corner of a military parade ground.
Entrance
The mosque contains a double staircase leading up to the portico. The entrance to the prayer hall is at the top of the stairs. The inscription above the entrance was made by calligrapher Yesarizade Mustafa İzzet Efendi.
Prayer Hall
The lavishly decorated prayer hall is impressive. There’s one single dome resting on four angles. It’s 29 meters high and 15 meters in diameter.
To the right on the upper wall is the sultan’s loge, which is formed by a balcony. Above the women’s section is the upper gallery.
Courtyard
The courtyard of the Nusretiye Mosque is to the left of the entrance. It contains a domed ablutions fountain sitting on 10 columns as well as a clock room (muvakkithane) for keeping prayer times.
The clock room was originally located across the street along with a fountain. The fountain, built in 1901 by Italian architect Raimondo D’Aronco for Abdülhamid II, now sits in Maçka Park.
