The New Mosque reflects traditional Ottoman architecture. This means that you will learn what traditional Ottoman architecture was like in the New Mosque. Examining this mosque is enough to learn what Ottoman architecture was like.

Architecture of the New Mosque

The New Mosque has a medium plan and was built on a main dome with a diameter of 16.20 meters. The main dome was expanded with half domes in four directions. Two columns under the Sultan's gathering place are reddish marble columns brought after the conquer of Girit. The mosque was built using cut limestone, marble, and brick. It can be accessed from the cloistered courtyard through a gate in the north and two gates on the sides. There are also small doors on the sides towards the mihrab.

The windows are arranged in six rows, and the tiles cover the walls. The tiles, dominated by blue, turquoise, and green colors, extend from the floor to the top of the second row of windows. There is a square planned cloister in the north. In the courtyard, porticoes with pointed arches carried by twenty columns with muqarnas capitals and twenty-four units covered with domes are found. A shadirvan leaning on arches is located in the center of the courtyard. The mosque's external appearance is similar to that of the Suleymaniye Mosque, but it has a slightly more pointed pyramid-like structure. Its two minarets rise on a square base and are covered with lead-covered cones. Three sun clocks are on the courtyard wall in the southwest corner of the mosque.

What to See in the New Mosque

The mosque's interior has a square plan, and its two sides are 41 meters long. There are four large piers supporting the central area. The interior expands with semidomes along the east-west axis. Small domes are at each corner and at the corners of the galleries.

In the northeast corner of the gallery is a gilded screen where members of the imperial court could attend services. The interior of the mosque is decorated with blue, green, and white Iznik tiles. The mihrab is decorated with gilded muqarnas and has a conical dome with marble columns. To the south of the mosque, in the corner of the courtyard wall, a building was built in 1816. This structure, made of cut stone, is connected to the entrance hall by a low-arched door. A passage from the main space to the east has been provided. There is Mahmud's signature and Poet Vasıf's inscription in the middle of the facade.