MOSQUE AND RELIGIOUS COMPLEX OF FATIH

The mosque of Mehmed the Conqueror is built on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles, the fourth hill in the city according to tradition. Founded by Constantine I the Great (^5th century), it was one of the most important in Constantinople and housed the tombs of the first Byzantine emperors. After the conquest of the city, the church was placed at the disposal of Patriarch Scholarios, who had his possession of Saint Sophia taken away. Mehmed II the Conqueror then decided to build a vast complex of Koranic theology in his name, in order to confirm the elevation of the Ottoman Empire by a large building, as the Byzantines did. Its goal is to surpass them. The first mosque of Mehmed the Conqueror was built on this site between 1462 and 1470.

The outbuildings of this mosque are considered to form the first university in Istanbul due to the importance of its schools, library, hospital, Turkish bath and housing. You reach the courtyard through two rows of windows through three doors, one of which forms a portal, near which you can read an inscription that recalls the words of the Prophet Mohammed: "What happiness for the army that will conquer Constantinople, and what glory for its leader. "In the centre, there is an ablutions fountain supported by eight columns, covered by a roof with a large marble basin in the centre. The walls of the fountain courtyard, the gate, the prayer niche and the minaret bases are covered with glazed earthenware. The courtyard is lined with porticoes whose galleries are covered by 22 domes. The mosque, which is the centre of the complex, has a large central space topped by a dome supported by four large pillars. The minarets were rebuilt in the 19th century, with the addition of a second circular balcony. The prayer room is preceded outside by a peristyle courtyard, which includes 22 domes and 18 columns of marble and granite. The latter would come from the baths of Zeuxippe, which were the most sumptuous in the city in the early Byzantine period, located near the temple of Zeus Hippios (Zeus cavalier). The medersas are built according to the classic Ottoman distribution plan, with bedrooms and a large classroom. Remarkable in their simplicity, the mausoleums of Mehmed the Conqueror and his wife, Sultan Gülbahar, are located in the south courtyard of the mosque.