Visiting the Nuruosmaniye Ottoman Mosque, Istanbul - a stunning building dating from 1755

We visited this beautiful Ottoman Mosque in Istanbul, back in June.

We were taken there as part of a walking tour around Istanbul, and otherwise, I dont think we would have found it or visited it !

As per all of the mosques that we visited, it was stunning both inside and out. The attention to detail was superb, and every bit of it was quite beautiful. The pic above shows the main praying area. I just love those suspended light clusters they have, and the carpet was stunning too.

The arched designs on the main 4 faces was quite interesting, and certainly made the mosque stand out from others. The stone work was a sort of greyed marble in effect, which you can really see in and around in the arches above.

According to wikipedia, the architect was a Greek non-muslim called Simeon Kalfa. I find that quite interesting due to the attention of detail present in the design. The architect clearly understood the mosque design and has ticked all the boxes, and has done a fantastic job.

The design above the doorways was very intricate, and then above that you can see one of the mini-domes, which could be found around the entire circumference of the courtyard.

The design of the courtyard was very interesting as it was D-shaped, whereas most of the others we saw were rectangular or square. The pic above shows the apex of the arched side of the 'D'.

The large arched design can be found on all 4 of the main faces of this generally cubed shaped building.

On the inside you can also see how that arched feature plays into the beautiful interior design. I love the array of windows around that feature, and particularly the 8 in a row at the top.

This mosque was not quite on the tourist trail, so it was fairly quiet when we went to visit it. There wasnt a queue to get in, and we pretty much had it to ourselves - which was quite different compared to our visits to the blue mosque and the Hagia Sophia, which were completely mobbed.

The pic above shows the inside of the main central dome. Quite pretty although plain to some extent. I've only just noticed the change in pattern pointing from the centre towards 3 o'clock, and the differently coloured window surround on the outer circle. I dont know why that would be the case - but its certainly interesting !

Again the pic above shows the stunning internal decoration - there is something beautiful anywhere you look.

Although not part of the mosque, the column above, which stands near it is pretty interesting. Its called Constantine's column, and is a remnant from the Forum of Constantine, from the Roman days of Constantinople - of which very little remains these days. So it was interesting to see that too.

I had never visited a mosque before our trip to Istanbul. I've seen a few in the UK, and although pretty, they just arent even in the same league as what we saw in Istanbul. I was literally stunned by the beauty and design in every one we saw - I was so impressed with them from an architectural and artistic perspective.

I like the angle above - again you can see so many different design details that have been put into the building. And to think it was designed back in the 18th century without the aid of computers ! It makes the mind boggle !

The view above gives a better view of that cubic shape of the main mosque, and with those lovely large arches on all faces, it gave it quite an interesting outlook.

Although we visited quite a few, I didnt get tired of seeing the mosques. And looking back at these pictures it makes me really want to go back and visit them all again !

What stunning places - and they all felt very calm and serene ! They were also very welcoming to tourists, and none of them charged an entrance fee !

What a place to visit for an architecture lover !