Nuruosmaniye Mosque

The Nuruosmaniye Mosque is an 18th-century Ottoman imperial mosque in the Çemberlitaş neighbourhood of Fatih, Istanbul. It was the first major Ottoman building to showcase the Ottoman Baroque style, blending European baroque and neoclassical elements. The mosque is part of a larger religious complex that served as a cultural, religious, and educational hub. Its dome is among the largest in Istanbul, and the mosque is situated near the Column of Constantine and the Grand Bazaar.

Don't miss

• The dome, 25.4 meters in diameter and 43.5 meters high, is the third largest historic dome in Istanbul after Hagia Sophia and Süleymaniye Mosque.
• The horseshoe-shaped courtyard is an unprecedented design in Ottoman mosques.
• The minbar features exuberant Baroque carvings with flutes and scroll forms.
• The library has an oval floor plan and originally held a collection of 5031 volumes.
• The sebil, a public water dispenser, is integrated into the exterior wall.
• The hünkâr kasrı, a three-story L-shaped building, provided private access for the sultan to the prayer hall.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Nuruosmaniye Mosque

Cheapest way inIstanbul Mosaic Lamp Workshop in Grand Bazaar4.9★ · 75 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$12 per personSee dates →Most bookedIstanbul: Turkish Mosaic Lamp Workshop in Galata – All Included4.9★ · 667 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$34 per personSee dates →Top ratedIstanbul Highlights! Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapı and More4.9★ · 660 travelers8-9 hoursFree cancellationFrom$175 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The mosque is located on Istanbul's second hill, across the street from an entrance to the Grand Bazaar.
• The complex includes a madrasa, imaret (soup kitchen), library, and tomb, all in Baroque style.
• The name Nuruosmaniye means 'The light of Osman,' referencing Sultan Osman III.
• The mosque underwent a major restoration from 2010 to 2012, which included resealing the dome and cleaning the walls.

A bit of history

Commissioned by Sultan Mahmud I in 1748 and completed under his brother Sultan Osman III in 1755, the mosque was named Nuruosmaniye, meaning 'The light of Osman.' It marked the return of the tradition of sultans building their own imperial mosques in Istanbul, a practice that had lapsed for about a century. The site was previously occupied by a smaller mosque that had fallen into disrepair. The mosque was designed by a Greek non-Muslim architect named Simeon Kalfa, the first non-Muslim to lead a major imperial Ottoman construction.