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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Hagia Sophia The recent removal of the museum status of Hagia Sophia and its reversion to a mosque have created quite a stir around the world.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

The building was converted to a mosque following the city's take over by Muslims in 639.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Eyüp Sultan Mosque

Built on the order of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1458 around the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, an important Islamic figure in terms of Istanbul's history, Eyüp Sultan Mosque is one of the oldest and most significant mosques in Istanbul.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

People who want to visit the tomb of this Islamic figure flock to the Eyüp district of Istanbul 24/7 during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Great Mosque of Divriği

Located in Sivas to the east of central Turkey, the Great Mosque and hospital of Divriği is one of the finest examples of early Turkic architecture in Anatolia. Designed and built by architect Hürrem Şah bin Muğis El-Hılatî of Ahlat on the orders of Emir Ahmed Shah, the ruler of the Mengujekids in 1229, it was built in honor of the Turkish victory against the Byzantine Empire in the Battle of Manzikert in 1071.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Hisar Mosque

Located in the western province of Izmir, it is the biggest and oldest mosque in the city, dating back to 1592.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Konak Yalı Mosque

Located in the heart of western Izmir province's Konak Square, this tiny mosque has a view of the sea and is next to the iconic Izmir clock tower.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Kümbet Mosque

Located in Turkey's northern province Kars, it was also known as the Holy Apostles Church and was converted into a mosque in 1579. In the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the mosque was converted into the area's first Russian Orthodox church, then into an Armenian cathedral. It remained as such until 1993 when it was reverted into a mosque again.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Kurtuluş Mosque

Located in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, it used to be the Holy Mother of God Armenian Church and was converted to a mosque in 1915.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Ortaköy Mosque

Ortaköy Mosque is located under the European leg of the Bosphorus Bridge and has survived several earthquakes and fires since its construction in the 19th century during the rule of Sultan Abdülmecid. Located in the eponymous district of Istanbul, the mosque is known for its pink mosaics in the interior of its dome and its baroque style, which is uncommon in its contemporaries.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Selimiye Mosque

It witnessed the rise of the Ottoman Empire and today the grand Selimiye Mosque Complex still bears the soul of its time. It is the must-see place on a trip to Turkey's northwestern Edirne province.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Süleymaniye Mosque

Süleymaniye Mosque was built by Mimar Sinan under the auspices of Suleiman I, aka Suleiman the Magnificent. The mosque is one of the most important works of Ottoman architecture.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

The reason that the number of minarets in the mosque is four is that Suleiman the Magnificent was the fourth sultan to rule the Ottoman state after the conquest of Istanbul. The 10 balconies in the minarets show that Suleiman the Magnificent was the 10th Ottoman sultan.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Sultan Ahmet Mosque

Also known as the Blue Mosque, it is the first and only six-minaret mosque of Ottoman architecture. The construction of the mosque ended in 1617 and was built right across from Hagia Sophia.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Yeni Mosque

Right on the shore of Eminönü in Istanbul, the mosque is near the Spice Bazaar, which was built to financially support the mosque.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Yivli Minare Mosque

Yivli Minare Mosque, also known as the Alaaddin Mosque, is a tourist attraction for both locals and foreigners. Built by Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Kayqubad I, the mosque is one of the most visited historical monuments in Antalya province.

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More than a place of worship: Turkey’s most beautiful mosques

Zeyrek Mosque

Zeyrek Mosque, or the Monastery of the Pantocrator, is an important structure consisting of three Orthodox churches. The mosque in Fatih district was built in 1124 by the wife of the Byzantine Emperor Ioannes Komnenos, Empress Eirene Komnena, as a monastery, a library and a hospital. The monastery represents the most typical example of Byzantine medieval architecture.