Mihrimah Sultan Mosque (Edirnekapı)
Sinan's sky-piercing mosque on Istanbul's Sixth Hill, built for Süleyman's daughter — the climb up is the price, the view is the payoff.
About
The Mihrimah Sultan Mosque at Edirnekapı is Sinan's late-career masterwork (completed 1565) on Istanbul's highest historic hill, the Sixth Hill at the edge of the Theodosian Walls. Mihrimah was Süleyman the Magnificent and Hürrem's daughter, and the mosque is named for her — legend holds that Sinan was also in love with her, though this is mostly 19th-century romantic embellishment.
The mosque is notable for being set on a high terrace reached by a steep climb from the road, and for the striking simplicity of its design — one large central dome on four massive pillars, in a single white-walled space. Mihrimah's other major mosque is at Üsküdar on the Asian side; the Edirnekapı version is the grander of the two. Both are from the same commission but designed differently.
The terrace in front gives a view over the upper Golden Horn and the Süleymaniye across the valley. The Mihrimah is one of the closer views in the city of the Theodosian Walls — walk 10 minutes west after visiting to reach the Edirnekapı gate (the section of wall breached by Mehmed II on the final day of the 1453 siege).
Free entry. Modest dress. Closed during prayer times.
Photo credits
- mihrimah-sultan-mosque-hero.jpg by Picsum (Picsum Photos, CC0 (Public Domain))