Sultana Mihrimah Mosque in Istanbul
His name brought the sun and the moon together, A mosque built by a lover for his beloved Princess, the daughter of Sultan Suleiman Princess Mihrimah Mosque
Mahramah is the only daughter of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent of the Sultanate “Hurrem”, and the meaning of her name is very distinctive, as it combines (sun) and (moon) in its meaning in the Persian language.
Building the mosque
Sultana Mihrimah Mosque was built in 1548 AD, before the construction of the other mosque in the European part in the “Edirnekapi” region in 1565, which bears the same name
He asked Mimar Sinan Pasha to build these two mosques for her.
As for the construction of this mosque, it is another story and legend about an unfinished love story
It is said that Ahmed Pasha, ruler of Diyarbakir, and Mimar Sinan Pasha competed for the love of Princess Mihrimah, but she eventually married Ahmed Pasha.
It is said that Mimar Sinan built the other mosque after it, which is in the European section, so that on March 21 of every year, the birthday of Princess Mihramah, and at sunset behind the minaret of the “Mihramah” mosque in the European part, the moon appears above the minaret of the “Mihrimah” mosque in the Asian part.
And just as the sun and the moon do not meet, he wanted to tell Sinan Pasha how with his lover this architectural secret, so we built each mosque in two parts, one in Europe and the other in Asia.
What does the Mihrimah Mosque include and its location?
The mosque was initially built as an Ottoman complex with the mosque in its centre surrounded by a large kitchen, hospital, and school.
The architecture of the mosque is in the traditional Ottoman style, as it has a semi-square shape, topped by a huge dome, and is somewhat flat. It has a single pointed minaret.
The mosque includes a sundial located in the courtyard of the mosque to indicate the hours of noon and afternoon prayers, in addition to watching the beauty of the Bosphorus Bridge from the mosque’s garden crowded with tourists, and enjoys seeing many worthy archaeological sites such as the municipal market (Al Badia market), and the mausoleum of Sheikh Mustafa Dawati, one of the saints Allah. The beautiful Kuzguncuk district.
The first mosque of Princess Mihrimah is located in the Asian part of Istanbul on the coast of Uskudar near the Bosphorus Bridge