Ortaköy Mosque

The Ortaköy Mosque (Büyük Mecidiye Camii) is a small but beautifully decorated 19th-century neo-baroque mosque on the European waterfront of the Bosphorus, exactly under the first Bosphorus Bridge. The mosque's white silhouette against the bridge cables and the Bosphorus is one of the most photographed views in Istanbul.

The mosque was commissioned by Sultan Abdülmecid in 1856, the same sultan who built Dolmabahçe, and the two have a similar decorative sensibility — carved marble jali work on the exterior, painted interiors, gilt details. The interior is small but elegant, with rose-colored wall paintings and a relatively low dome.

The mosque is in Ortaköy, a charming waterfront neighborhood that has become one of the city's most-frequented day-and-evening destinations. Ortaköy is known for its kumpir (jacket potatoes with elaborate toppings) on the street, the Sunday flea market, the narrow lanes of art studios and galleries, and a lively café and bar scene along the waterfront. It's a 15-minute walk from the Çırağan Palace, 20 minutes from Beşiktaş.

Free entry, modest dress. Closed during prayer times. The most photogenic angle is from the waterfront across the street, with the bridge arching over the mosque's minarets.