Photography Trek to Ortaköy Mosque, Istanbul

 

The square beside the Ortaköy Mosque, is a popular destination for Istanbulu at the weekend.

For the past three years, the Büyük Mecidiye Camii (Grand Imperial Mosque of Sultan Abdülmecid I), more commonly known as the Ortaköy Mosque, has been undergoing an extensive renovation. In all that time, we were unable to take any photographs, as the building was shrouded in plastic sheeting. So, once the Prime Minister had formally opened the mosque, on Friday June 6, our photography club arranged a trek to see the finished result.

The mosque is right on the edge of the Bosphorus, beside the Bosphorus Bridge

This Mosque was commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid, and built in 1853 by architects Garabet Amira, and Nigoğayos Balyan, who also designed the near-by Dolmabahçe Palace, and Mosque. This is not the first renovation of this picturesque mosque. The original minarets collapsed in 1908, and its dome was later damaged, and replaced with a reinforced concrete one. Fortunately, the Mosque's Neo-Baroque style has been preserved.

One of the ornately decorated grills on the windows of the mosque

Inside, the mosque is quite small. This is the main entrance into the mosque.

Huge chandeliers hang from the ceiling of the mosque

The dome is richly decorated

Here is a detail from the beautifully patterned dome

The outside of the mosque is covered in intricate stonework

The flag seller outside the mosque

Thank you to all my lovely friends in the Photography Club of Istanbul, for yet another successful trek. We always have such fun!

Elizabeth Coughlan