Pair of Peaceful Places – July 2020

Posted on by Susan

We discovered a few peaceful spots in the busy, sometimes chaotic parts of Istanbul that we visited.

Tomb of Hatice Turhan Sultan – Built in 1663, this colorful mausoleum includes 44 graves. The most notable is for Turhan Sultan, chief queen consort of Sultan Ibrahim and mother of Sultan Mehmed IV. Five Ottoman sultans, princes, princesses, and other relatives of sultans are also buried here. 

Suleymaniye Mosque – We walked to this incredible mosque several times and enjoyed its amazing design, extensive garden, as well as views of the city. Up until 2019 when Camilica Mosque was completed, Suleymaniye was the largest mosque in Istanbul. Suleyman I, sultan of the empire in the mid 1500s, commissioned the one-of-a-kind mosque to be built on one of the seven beautiful hills of the city. Over 3,500 craftsmen took seven years to finish the project. The 63,000-square-meter complex includes a hospital, schools, library, Turkish bath, public “soup” kitchen, shops, and cemetery. Only mosques endowed by a sultan can have 4 minarets, and Sulemaniye’s quartet of slender towers each stand over 60 meters tall at the corners of the square forecourt.

  • North facade
  • Abolution area
  • The two minarets on the left are part of other mosques.
  • View of the city from mosque garden

The graveyard features two octagonal mausoleums. One for Suleman I the Magnificant, his daughter, and two subsequent sultans. And the other mausoleum honors Suleman I’s wife, Haseki Hurrem Sultan.

  • Mausoleum of Hurrem Sultan
  • Interior of Hurrem Sultan Mausoleum

Western portal and forecourt

  • Western portal
  • Western facade

Compared to other mosques, this masterpiece features simple construction with great acoustics, beautiful stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings with colorful artwork, and granite columns.

  • Interior looking towards the mihrab
  • Central dome
  • Social distance markings on the pomegranate-colored carpet
  • Light fixtures feature ostrich eggshells