The most beautiful religious buildings Turkey

It is, without question, the most beautiful building in Edirne. And it is the work of the brilliant architect Mimar Koca Sinan, to whom we also owe the imposing mosque of Soliman the Magnificent (Süleymaniye Camii) in Istanbul. The Selimiye Camii, a magnificent imperial religious building, was built on the highest point of the city, between 1569 and 1575, by order of Sultan Selim II. This square mosque sits at the center of a remarkable architectural and social complex (külliye) with schools and stores. Its single main dome of 31 m in diameter (slightly larger than that of the Hagia Sophia Basilica in Istanbul) creates a bright and airy prayer space. Eight pillars, buttresses and several arches support the 48-ton dome. The four minarets of 71 m direct the building towards the sky and give it an enchanting silhouette that dominates the ancient Ottoman city. The interior adorned with Iznik earthenware testifies to the heyday of this craft. Behind, in the garden, we see Ottoman steles in line. Originally, the Selimiye Mosque was surrounded by a series of buildings housing several Koranic schools and libraries. Today, the Koranic school (medersa) is a museum of Turkish and Islamic art. The ensemble is considered the most harmonious expression of the Ottoman külliye. Also, in 2011, the mosque and the surrounding architectural ensemble were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Those who prefer to discover the small traditional buildings, can visit this charming mosque. It was built in 1778, in memory of Abdülhamid I's mother (1774-1789), Sultan Rabia. Mehmet Tahir Ağa, the first architect of Sultan Mustafa III (1757-1773), was the designer. We find his particular touch, the baroque, a style adopted at the beginning of the century. With its 55 windows and unique dome, it contains Turkish and European earthenware.

After the museum, on the road to Ephesus, stands the only column that testifies to the existence of one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. On this site, from the end of the VIIth century, three temples dedicated to Cybele, Phrygian goddess of the fertility, follow one another. Crésus builds then, in the VIth century, an imposing Artemision supported on 127 columns. But, the same night that Alexander the Great was born, in 356 BC, the monument was burned by Erostrate who wanted to immortalize his name by destroying the temple! The Hellenistic Artemisia, built on the ruins of the previous one, is even bigger, and decorated by famous sculptors like Praxiteles. This sacred place of the cult of Artemis is then considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. With the advent of Christianity, it gradually lost its splendor and, from the fourth century, it was used as a quarry for the construction of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

In Greece, the goddess Artemis combines the attributes of several older deities symbolizing fertility, nature and the moon. For the Romans, she became Diana, goddess of the hunt, but at the same time protector of animals, trees, lakes and rivers and pregnant women, even if she is a virgin. Finally, she is androgynous since her statues are decorated at chest height with a series of small breasts which, according to the most recent theories, represent bulls' testicles. Her attributes are the bow, the half-moon and the stag. Her priestesses were supposed to be virgins and her priests eunuchs, but in her temple a feast is celebrated in honor of Dionysus where the men become satyrs and the women bacchantes.

To make sure that the priestesses are really virgins, they are made to enter a cave behind the temple. If they succumbed to the pleasures of the flesh, the opening of the cave closed for three days and when it opened again, the sinner disappeared. On the pedestal of the great statue of Artemis are engraved letters forming incomprehensible words, considered magical. These letters of Ephesus are engraved on pieces of wood or leather and worn in medallions to protect against evil spells. According to Plutarch, the soothsayers advised the victims of bewitchments to pronounce these magic words in a low voice. It is however difficult to imagine by contemplating the ruins of the site its splendor of formerly...

You can only be struck by the grace and elegance of this mosque, which is unlike any other. Combining baroque and neoclassical styles, it has the particularity of having the finest minarets in the world! On the side, the clock of the Dolmabahçe Palace perfectly complements the softness of the landscape. Another marriage between the West and the East, its architect is Garabed Balyan, appointed by Sultana Mother Bezmi Alem, who built the building in the mid-19th century.

Literally "Underground Mosque", this unique building bears its name well: it has occupied the old cellars of Galata Castle since the mid-18th century and is therefore... underground! With its 54 pillars and labyrinthine corridors, it exudes a unique mysticism. At its location was a Byzantine fortress that was part of Constantinople's defence system. The famous chain that blocked the entrance to the Golden Horn started from this point.

Built in 1223 during the reign of Keyqubad I of the Sultanate of Rum. With its finely carved doors, the historic Alaeddin Camii Mosque is located inside Niğde Castle, the most sheltered place in the city. It is a beautiful yellow ochre building, very nice example of Seljuk architecture. It is said that between 10:00 and 11:00 (depending on the season), you should go to the gate on the east side. At that time of the day, the light effects caused by the sun's rays would allow to discern the shape of a crowned woman's head.

Discovered in 1963, the Eski Monastery Gümüşler contains beautifully preserved wall paintings (7th-11th century) depicting the Virgin, a beautiful Christ Pantocrator, Saint Michael and the Apostles. The monastery seems to be hidden behind a rock face. The inner courtyard and the church can be reached through a corridor dug between two rocks. You can visit the kitchen, the bedrooms, the baths, the cellars. The church is in the shape of a cross with a dome.

Built in 1427 by Jews from Macedonia, this synagogue is the oldest, but also one of the largest in Istanbul. Still in use, it is the only synagogue founded during the Byzantine period. It takes its name from the city of Ohri in Macedonia, where this Jewish community came from in Byzantine times. The synagogue is known for its boat-shaped reading platform, called Tevah. She only admires herself from the outside.

This red colored church, one of the oldest in Cappadocia, is the place where Saint Gregory of Nazianzus is buried. Unlike the majority of the churches of Cappadocia, it is not dug in the rock but built in the middle of the fields, It contains some remains of frescos. Thanks to the association of the Friends of Cappadocia, a restoration program has been launched. The building stands out from the dreary environment and the sad land, you can see it from far.

Located 1 km from the village, the church, made up of three floors, dates from the 12th century. It is suspended on the edge of a ravine. The interior is endowed with frescoes (which are not of great interest) restored by the Greeks in the 19th century. To visit the monument, if the church is not open, someone on site should give you the key. If not, the key should be picked up at the tourist office or you can go to the town hall for information.

It is composed of a mosque, a medersa, an elementary school, a hammam, a mausoleum and shops. A real masterpiece! Once again, Sinan surpassed himself by building this complex (1560-1565) for Soliman's daughter, Princess Mihrimah, who died in 1558 and was buried in Süleymaniye. Mihrimah is an aerial building of exemplary simplicity. Considered as Sinan's "original experimentation", the central space of the mosque has been enlarged here and the half-dome, which usually supported the large dome with its north wing, has been removed, which rests, through pendants, on four pillars of blue and pink granite. If, seen from the outside, the mosque looks like a cube topped by a dome that no visible counter-butt comes to consolidate, the interior reserves the most beautiful surprises. Exceptionally bright, the mosque evokes the most beautiful cathedrals in the West. Four practically translucent eardrums, each pierced with 15 windows and 4 ox's eyes, light flows into an almost transparent space. The fountain of ablutions with sixteen columns and square and massive capitals is characteristic of the 16th century. The minaret was replaced in the 19th century by a baroque one. The double hammam, built on a cruciform plane, has canopies and angular cells. The large dome in the middle is supported by half domes. A fountain was added to the complex in 1778.

Dating from the 19th century, it was transformed into a mosque after the population exchange of 1923. You can still see some past Byzantine frescoes. But the restoration of the building is almost non-existent, to the detriment of the local heritage. The church is located in the garden of a house of the village which is a former school. You can ask for access to it. The owner is also a winegrower. Inside, the atmosphere is meditative, with a mixture of choral music and the sound of tourists' voices outside.

It is the first Seljuk külliye (religious complex) in Anatolia, built in the 13th century by Sultan Alaadin Keykubat. Near the citadel stands the mosque of Hünat Hatun (1228). Next to it is the türbe (Muslim funeral building) of Princess Mahperi, wife of Sultan Keykubad, a double hammam (still in use) and a 13th century medersa, which today houses a café in its shaded courtyard, a perfect example of Seljuk architecture.

Built from 1906 to 1912, the church was built according to the plans of the architect Guilio Mongeri. A place of worship of the largest Catholic community, it is one of the largest churches in the city. Made of red bricks, it is typical of Italian neo-Gothic architecture. The offices are in several languages. The apartments that are part of the complex are also the work of the same architect and house members of the Catholic community.

Gülşehir unveils two superimposed churches in the same cone of tufa, the higher church offers beautiful frescoes, which are very well restored recently.

Located 10 km south of Mustafapaşa, on the road to Soğanlı, and indicated by a yellow sign on the right, the monastery is about 2 km past the village of Cemil. It is difficult to access without a vehicle and still not much visited by tourists: it is worth seeing. Built in the ^13th century, it has a large refectory and two churches: Kara Kilise ("the black church"), which hides many frescoes damaged by smoke, and Aios Stefanos ("the church of St. Stephen") whose frescoes in yellow and orange represent mainly bunches of grapes.

It is one of the oldest mosques in Istanbul, as evidenced by the epigraphy on the pediment of the front door dated 1471-1472. The prayer hall is an exception in Ottoman architecture, which tends to favour larger ranks of the faithful. It was built on the initiative of Has Hasan Paşa, which is illustrated during the wars waged by Mehmed the Conqueror against the Turkoman White Sheep dynasty, Uzun Hasan.

In the center of the village, on the main square, the pediment of the imposing church shows painted grapes. The building has a dome and was built in 1729, before being restored in 1850. The interior is less interesting than the exterior architectural structure, but it nevertheless houses frescoes a little worn by time that date from the nineteenth century. If you want to visit it, you have to get the key at the tourist office.

The convent and its annex buildings were built in 1703 by Sultanahmet III. The ensemble consists of a Tevhidhane for ceremonies, a section for women and another for men, and mausoleums. The structure of the convent has hardly changed since its foundation. The particularity of Cerrahi dervishes is to pray while singing while others dance in a circle. Those who sing are also called howler dervishes in opposition to dancers or turners.

Completed in 1571, it is one of the works of the architect Sinan. The complex consists of a mosque, a medersa, a dervish convent and an ablution fountain. The building is decorated with 16th-century Iznik tiles. The dervish convent consists of a central space topped by a dome and ritual ceremonial rooms(semahan) extending to the sides. The mosque contains four fragments of the Black Stone of Mecca.

It is a religious complex(külliye) founded in 1726, comprising, in addition to the mosque, a medersa, a hospice and a library. The mosque is also called Kur unlu ("with lead") because its dome is covered with this metal. Opposite, the hammam is still in use and welcomes mainly tourists. Open from 6am to midnight, it is possible to get all the traditional treatments at very good prices. Note that the men and women sections are not separated.

Located 2 km south of Özkonak, Belha Monastery is located in the middle of nowhere and is completely rocky. It is the largest and oldest known monastery in Cappadocia, probably dating from the 6th century. Note the remarkable portico overlooking a courtyard, and a basilica which must have been the meeting point for the hermit monks of the surrounding area, a storeroom and two funeral chapels that make it a place not to be missed. Another point of interest is the view from the top of the hill. Follow the road for 4.5 km that leads to the top. Superb.

The church of St. John the Baptist overlooks the village. Dating from the 19th century, notice the domes and the Greek inscription above the door. A restoration project with the collaboration of an American foundation is underway. Unfortunately, the authorities seem to be more or less neglecting the preservation of the church. Graffiti is spoiling some places, like the altar, it's a pity. At the entrance, a well of wishes receives your coins...

Built between 1408 and 1409 by Kılıçarslan's son, Rükneddin Mesud, on a rectangular plan, and then enlarged and restored during the Karamanoğulları period, this mosque reflects the architectural traditions typical of the beylicat era following the Persian-influenced Seljuk period. Inside, note the beautiful carved wooden minbar. The mosque is built of smooth cut stones and some yellow stones of the portal have been preserved.

In the village, next to the ruins. It dates from the ^14th century and was probably built on the site, and with the stones, of a ^6th century Byzantine church. The building is quite modest. Above the entrance, you will notice crosses and Greek inscriptions. Note that the Hüdavendigâr Mosque (which means "Bursa"), is one of two such mosques remaining in all of Turkey. The second is in Bursa.

The Great Mosque was built in the twelfth century by the Turkish emirs and completed in 1205 by the Seljuks. It is also known as the Sultan Mosque or Cami-i Kebir. It is the oldest building in the city. Thanks to successive restorations, it has remained in very good condition. Note its rectangular shape, its beautiful cylindrical minaret of red bricks which is one of the highest in the country and the particular minbar in carved wood. Its fountain built near the south wall dates back to the beginning of the 18th century.