New Mosque (aka Yeni Cami) is located in Eminonu, one of the liveliest districts of Istanbul. Adjacent to Spice Bazaar, the mosque was built in the 1660s as part of the same complex.
Eminonu has been one of the busiest port districts of the city for centuries. For this reason, some of Istanbul’s most famous local restaurants and dessert shops are located here.
Eminonu is also one of the districts where locals shop the most. Since the New Mosque is located in the middle of Eminonu, tens of thousands of people pass through the streets around it every day.
NEW MOSQUE (Yeni Cami) in Istanbul
The construction of the New Mosque (locally known as Yeni Cami) actually started in the 1590s during the reign of Safiye Sultan, one of the most famous Valide Sultans (the Sultan’s mother) of the Ottoman palace.
However, when Safiye Sultan died unexpectedly, the construction of the mosque also stopped. The foundation of the mosque, which remained as it was for half a century, was severely damaged by a fire in the area.
Later, Hatice Turhan Sultan, mother of Mehmed IV, who ruled the Ottoman Empire in the 1660s, decided to complete the mosque. Thus, the structure called New Valide Mosque today was erected.
During the Ottoman period, mosques were designed not only as places of worship, but also as a public center. For this reason, there were many structures around the mosques that would contribute to the daily life of the people living in the surrounding area.
For this purpose, the L-shaped bazaar built next to the mosque stands out as one of the most touristic historical market places in Istanbul today. Known as Egyptian Bazaar by locals and Spice Bazaar among foreigners, this market is next to the mosque.
If you want to spend some more time exploring the surroundings of the mosque, you can also visit the tomb of Valide Turhan Sultan, who we refer to as the founder of the mosque in the upper lines. Next to the Ottoman mosques, there was always the tomb of the person who built it.
New Mosque Opening Hours 2023
New Mosque opening hours are between 09:00 in the morning and 18:30 in the evening. During this time frame, you can visit the mosque outside of prayer hours.
There are big differences in prayer times in Istanbul between summer and winter seasons, so I recommend that you review the current prayer times before visiting the mosque.
You can find prayer times for mosques on the official page of Religious Affairs. Mosques usually close half an hour before the prayer time and open half an hour after the call to prayer.
For example, if the specified time for the noon prayer (Dhuhr) is 13:00, you can predict that the mosque will be closed between 12:30 and 13:30. I share these hours as an example to give you an idea. Of course, it may change according to the rules of the mosques.
Conclusion
The New Mosque is one of the must-see places in Istanbul. If you go around Spice Bazaar, I recommend you to visit at least the courtyard of this mosque.
When you want to get away from the crowds while visiting one of the busiest districts of the city such as Eminonu, the courtyard of this mosque will take you to a spiritual atmosphere.
You will be surprised that you can get away from the thousands of people walking around Spice Bazaar with a few steps and reach such an old and fascinating place with its architecture.
If you want to learn more about Istanbul, you can find many useful articles on the blog pages of the Istanbul Tourist Guide site. Also, if you want to organize a private guided tour in Istanbul, you can contact us by filling out this form.
Written by Serhat Engul