What stories could these walls tell? We are standing before the Sultan Selim Mescidi. It is a 16th-century Ottoman imperial mosque. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned it. He built it in memory of his father Selim I who is buried here. The Sultan Selim Mescidi is on top of the 5th hill of Istanbul. It overlooks the Golden Horn. Its size makes it a familiar landmark.
The Sultan Selim Mescidi is the second oldest imperial mosque in Istanbul. The architect was Alaüddin. He completed it in 1527 or 1528. Some tried to say Mimar Sinan designed it. But there is no proof. One of the türbes in the garden is Sinan’s work.
The Sultan Selim Mescidi was built on a terrace. This terrace overlooks the Cistern of Aspar. The courtyard has a colonnaded portico. It features columns of marble and granite. The mosque has colored tiles. These tiles used the cuerda seca technique. They are like those in Topkapi Palace. Iranian craftsmen made them for the Ottoman court. The mosque has twin minarets.
The interior of the Sultan Selim Mescidi is a simple square room. It is 24.5 meters on each side. A shallow dome covers it. It is 32.5 meters high. The dome is shallower than a hemisphere. The windows are decorated with polychrome cuerda seca tiles. Domed passages lead to four small domed rooms. These rooms were hospices for traveling dervishes.
In the garden behind the Sultan Selim Mescidi is the türbe of Selim I. It was completed in 1523. The building is octagonal. It has a porch with unique tile panels. Another octagonal türbe contains the tombs of Suleiman’s children. It dates from 1556. Mimar Sinan is believed to have designed it. The third türbe is of Sultan Abdülmecid I. It was built before his death in 1861.
Sultan Selim I ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. He was known as Selim the Grim. Despite his short reign, he expanded the Empire greatly. He conquered the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt in 1517. This added the Levant, Hejaz, Tihamah, and Egypt to the Empire. Selim became the guardian of pilgrimage routes to Mecca and Medina. He also became the first Ottoman Caliph.
Ayşe Hafsa Sultan was Selim I’s concubine. She was the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. She was the first woman to hold the title of Valide Sultan. She is buried in a türbe behind the Sultan Selim Mescidi. It is next to her husband. Sultan Abdülmecid I also has a türbe behind the Sultan Selim Mescidi. He ruled for 22 years.
The Sultan Selim Mescidi is in a historic area of Istanbul. Not many tourists visit it. It is a peaceful place. Those interested in Ottoman history will find it interesting. You can also visit the nearby traditional area of Istanbul. The Sultan Selim Mescidi has spectacular views of the city. You will see Istanbul from a different perspective.