Mihrimah Sultan Mosque (Edirnekapi)

The Mihrimah Sultan Mosque ( tour: Mihrimah Sultan Camii ) is a 16th-century mosque located in the Edirnekapi district of Istanbul’s historic center , on top of Sixth Hill (one of the highest points in the city) ^[1] ; a vivid symbol of the medieval architecture of the capital of the Ottoman Empire .

Mosque
Mihrimah Sultan Mosque
tour. Mihrimah Sultan Camii
A country	Turkey
City	Istanbul
Coordinates
Architectural style	Islamic architecture
Architect	Sinan
Building	1562 - 1565 years
Number of Domes	one
Dome height	37 m
Dome Diameter	19 m
The number of minarets	one
condition	acting

The Mihrimah Sultan Mosque was built by the great Sinan for the beloved daughter of the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent Mihrimah . The construction of the mosque lasted only four years - from 1562 to 1565. Several times, in 1719, 1766, 1814, the complex of mosque buildings suffered from earthquakes ; in 1894, as a result of another earthquake, the minaret fell and broke through the roof; in the 1999 Izmit earthquake, the dome and minaret were again damaged.

The main volume of the mosque has a cubic shape and is crowned with a hemisphere with a diameter of 19 meters, based on four corner towers . The total height of the building is 37 meters, the walls on each of the four sides are decorated with tympans symmetrically cut by three tiers of windows ; another row of windows is in the dome of the mosque. Thus, Mihrimah Sultan becomes one of the brightest works of Sinan - a mosque pierced by the sun. The feeling of lightness and grace is enhanced by the fact that there is not a single supporting column inside the mosque, the whole building seems to soar in the air. Some windows are stained . The entrance to the mosque is decorated with a luxurious portal on granite and marble columns .

Mosque interior

The carved marble minbar draws attention to the interior of the mosque. Doors and window shutters are made of wood inlaid with mother of pearl and ivory ^[2] .

In addition to the central building, the architectural complex with an area of ​​1,100 square meters includes a madrasah , a hammam , a turbot and a number of shops for rent ; rent went to the financial needs of the mosque. In the courtyard there is a fountain for ablution.

A popular romantic legend is that the court architect Sinan was secretly in love with the golden-haired princess Mihrimah , despite the 33-year age difference. The only high and thin minaret of the mosque (which is a certain violation of the canons) is intended to symbolize unrequited love. Legend has it that March 21 - the birthday of Mikhrim, whose name means "the sun and the moon" - at the very moment when the sun is hiding behind the mosque, the moon appears from behind another mosque dedicated to the mihrims , the one in Uskudar ^[3] .