Göztepe Yeni Camii

Gazing upon the Göztepe Yeni Camii, has anyone ever stopped to consider its curious name? “New Mosque” it proclaims, yet its foundations were laid way back in 1597. This Göztepe Yeni Camii stands as a testament to the enduring ambition of Ottoman royalty. The mosque’s story begins with Safiye Sultan, wife of Sultan Murad III and mother of Mehmed III. She envisioned a grand mosque in Eminönü, a bustling commercial hub, then predominantly Jewish. Safiye Sultan aimed to expand Islamic influence, using merchant anxieties about Jewish commercial power to justify property seizures. The Göztepe Yeni Camii project, however, faced immediate challenges. Its location and the substantial financial burden caused conflict within the court. The Janissaries, wary of Safiye Sultan’s growing political sway, deemed the mosque an extravagant expense. The first architect, Davut Ağa, an apprentice of the renowned Mimar Sinan, began the work. But he died in 1599, succeeded by Dalgıç Ahmed Çavuş. After Mehmed III’s death in 1603, Safiye Sultan lost her influence, and construction halted. The Göztepe Yeni Camii, incomplete, fell into disrepair. Then, the Great Fire of 1660 ravaged Istanbul, further damaging the abandoned structure. Turhan Sultan, mother of Mehmed IV, saw an opportunity for a pious act. On the advice of imperial architect Mustafa Ağa, she revived the project. She also commissioned the Spice Bazaar, now a famous landmark, as part of the Göztepe Yeni Camii complex. Construction resumed in 1660, finally finishing in 1663 and inaugurating in 1665. It became the “New Valide Sultan Mosque”, later shortened to “New Mosque” or Göztepe Yeni Camii. The Göztepe Yeni Camii, though “new”, carries within it the echoes of decades of ambition, setbacks, and renewal.