Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

1 SIGHTS KARIYE MUSEUM (CHORA CHURCH) ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) See Kariye Museum (Chora Church).

MUSEUM

MOSQUE MIHRIMAH SULTAN MOSQUE ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Mihrimah Sultan Camii; Ali Kuşçu Sokak, Edirnekapı; g 28 from Eminönü, 87 from Taksim) The great Sinan put his stamp on the entire city and this mosque, constructed in the 1560s next to the Edirnekapı section of the historic land walls, is one of his best works. Commissioned by Süleyman the Magnificent’s favourite daughter, Mihrimah, it features a wonderfully light and airy interior with delicate stained glass windows and an unusual ‘bird cage’ chandelier. Occupying the highest point in the city, the mosque’s dome and one slender minaret are major adornments to the skyline; they are particularly prominent on the road from Edirne. Sinan was in love with Mihrimah, who was married to grand vizier Rüstem Paşa, and he symbolised his frustrated affection in the symmetry between this mosque and its identically named counterpart in Üsküdar. As the sun sets behind this mosque, the moon rises behind the other – a reference to Mihrimah’s name, which means ‘sun and moon’ in Farsi. Remnants of the külliye (mosque complex) include a still-functioning hamam. FETHIYE MUSEUM ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Fethiye Müzesi, Church of Pammakaristos; % 0212-635 1273; http://ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr/en; Fethiye Caddesi, Çarşamba; ₺ 5; h 9am-7pm mid-Apr–late Oct, to 5pm late Oct–mid-Apr; g 99, 99A, 99Y from Eminönü, 55T from Taksim) Not long after the Conquest, Mehmet the Conqueror visited this 13th-century church to discuss theological questions with the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church. They talked in the southern side chapel known as the parecclesion, which is decorated with gold mosaics and is now open as a small museum. MUSEUM