The list below contains some of the most important mosques in modern-day Turkey that were commissioned by the members of Ottoman imperial family.
Contents
The table
In the table below the first column shows the name, the second column shows the location, the third column shows the commissioner, the fourth column shows the architect and the fifth column shows the duration of construction.
Mosques on the hills of İstanbul
Among those mosques in Istanbul some of them have been built on the traditional seven hills of the city. (The numbers refer to the number of the hill.)
- Sultan Ahmet Mosque
- Nurosmaniye Mosque
- Beyazıt II Mosque-Şehzade Mosque
- Fatih Mosque
- Yavuz Selim Mosque
- Mihrimah Sultan Mosque
Selâtin mosques
Selâtin mosques, (Selâtin means in Arabic "Sultans") by the usual definition, are mosques commissioned by a sultan who personally led a military campaign. They are large mosques with several minarets. Fatih and Süleymaniye are typical examples. However, this definition does not exactly cover the concept. Beginning by the 17th century, most sultans preferred to stay in the capital rather than campaigning. Ahmet I (reigned 1603–1617), who was a non-campaigning sultan, commissioned the Blue Mosques, one of the greatest mosques which had 6 minarets. This mosque is also considered a selâtin mosque.
Most of the mosques were commissioned by the sultans. But some mosques were commissioned by the other members of the dynasty; usually the mothers of sultans.