Atik Valide Mosque

Welcome to the Asian shore of Istanbul. We find ourselves ascending the hills of Üsküdar, rising above the densely populated and vibrant districts below. …

To understand the Atik Valide Mosque, we must first understand its formidable patron: Nurbanu Sultan. Born into the Venetian nobility, she was captured at a young age and brought to the imperial harem. …

Let us pause in the outer courtyard and take stock of the surrounding structures. The Atik Valide Mosque is the centerpiece, but it is deeply integrated into an incredibly extensive complex. …

As we turn our gaze fully upon the mosque itself, we are looking at the work of Mimar Sinan, the chief imperial architect whose name is synonymous with the golden age of Ottoman design. The Atik Valide Mosque was completed in the…

We now approach the main entrance portal of the mosque. Before crossing the threshold, I urge you to look closely at the architectural detailing directly above the doorway. …

Stepping into the main prayer hall, your eyes are immediately drawn upward to the defining feature of the interior: the magnificent, wide, shallow dome. In his continuous quest to create expansive, unified interior spaces, Sinan…

As you stand in the center beneath the great dome, look to the sides and the rear of the prayer hall. You will notice that the interior is beautifully wrapped on three sides by elevated galleries. …

As we conclude our examination of the Atik Valide Mosque, we are left to ponder the monumental legacies of its creators. In this quiet, sunlit space on the hills of Üsküdar, the absolute political power of Nurbanu Sultan…