The most beautiful mosques in Istanbul

There are many attractions for which Istanbul is famous for. Apart from being the only city in the world located on two continents, this city is a place where east and west meet. In its thousands of years of history intertwine among the waves of the Bosphorus, a place that Napoleon Bonaparte himself declared: "If the world were one state, Istanbul would be the capital."

Upon arrival in the city, you can see that this is not an ordinary place. You will see hundreds of minarets proudly rising and defending the face of their culture, telling the story of some magical places you will find in every corner of Istanbul. These are the seals of the mosques that rule the city, and the very fact that there are as many as 3,113 mosques in the city that you can visit.

Although we could write about mosques and Islam for days, we have decided to choose for you the most beautiful mosques in Istanbul that you must visit when visiting the city. Some bigger, some smaller, each of them have its own peculiarities. Each will delight you and amaze you with its beauty, and some will take you back to the past, golden age of the Byzantine Empire.

Grandiose Hagia Sophia

One of the most famous mosques in Istanbul is certainly the grandiose Hagia Sophia. The peculiarity of this mosque lies in the fact that it was actually built as a church, converted into a mosque, again converted to museum, to be converted again in 2020 to a mosque. Who can keep the track. The name Sophia in Greek means “wisdom”, and the diameter of its dome is 31 meters, which is only slightly smaller than the diameter of the dome of the famous Roman Pantheon. Interestingly, our list includes another similar mosque called Small Hagia Sophia, which was actually built just before its “big name” so that the builders could see what Hagia Sophia will actually look like when it is built.

Aerial photography of hagia sophia in istanbul turkey — Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV on Pexels

Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)

Just a few hundred meters away from Hagia Sophie is the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) built in 1616. This is one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, which got its nickname “Blue Mosque” thanks to hand-painted, blue tiles that dominate the interior. If you wish to visit this place, keep in mind that you will need to be properly dressed, and you will not be allowed access in shorts and T-shirts. The mosque has as many as 260 glass windows and 6 minarets, and among the tourists who visited it were Pope Benedict XVI (2006) and his successor Pope Francis (2014).

Suleymaniye Mosque

All the above-mentioned mosques are located in the very center of Istanbul, and they are joined by another mosque, which offers a beautiful view of the city – the Suleymaniye Mosque. Built in 1550 on the model of Hagia Sophia, this mosque boasts spectacular design and as such, during construction, was a complete novelty for the Islamic world. What distinguished it from others at the time was the fact that next to the mosque there are also the builder’s tomb, madrasa, hospital, kitchen and hammam.

Ornamental ceiling of islam medieval mosque with arched windows — Photo by Julia Volk on Pexels

Yeni Mosque (New Mosque)

Although all the mentioned mosques are bigger, there are also smaller ones that definitely deserve your attention. One of these is the Yeni Mosque (New Mosque) located next to the Galata Bridge in the Eminonu district. What makes the mosque special is its location, because thanks to its location, this mosque is adorned with numerous postcards from Istanbul. You can combine your visit to the mosque with a visit to one of the liveliest markets in the city – Mısır Çarşısı, a market known as the “Egyptian Bazaar” where you will find numerous shops offering spices, food and textiles.