The most beautiful mosques to visit Route de la soie

It is one of the most famous panoramas of Istanbul and yet, one never tires of admiring and photographing it: the mosque in the foreground, the Bosphorus and the suspension bridge in the background... The building is located on the tip of the Defterdar, on the European side of the Bosphorus, in the Ortaköy district. Commissioned by Abdülmecid, it was completed in 1853 by the architect Garabed Balian. We usually call it by the name of the neighbourhood, its real name being Mecidiye Camii.

Located outside the madrasah, at the eastern corner of its façade, Kalta Minor was to be the highest minaret in the Muslim world, rising to 70 m. An architectural challenge for the time, but above all a height that was never reached, the work having been abandoned after the death of the khan when the minaret barely reached 29m. According to legend, the Khan of Bukhara, learning of the project from his rival Khiva and not being able to suffer from living in the shadow of a minaret larger than the Kalon minaret (it was said that when it was completed, Bukhara could be seen from its summit), planned to have the architect removed so that he could come and erect an even larger minaret in his city. What he learned, and so that his knowledge would benefit no one else, Khiva's khan decided to assassinate the architect as soon as his work was completed. As the Bukhara Khan matured the same project, the architect finally fled without asking for the rest, and the minaret remained forever truncated. The "short minaret" therefore only rises to 29 m, leaving the title of highest minaret in Bukhara: the Kalon minaret measures 49 m! The Kalta Minor nevertheless rests on a wide 14 m base, and is entirely and superbly decorated with green and blue majolica married to the distinctive green of Khiva. It is not usually possible to go up there, as the place is closed to tourists, but you can try your luck with the staff of the Orient Star Hotel, which has opened in the adjoining madrasah.

Of course, everyone knows Fourvière and visits the Lyon churches, but who will have the sane curiosity to visit the great mosque of Lyon, the sixth of France, inaugurated in 1994 after many adventures. A mosque far from some clichés and inspiring beautiful modernity of the Islam. Of course, you take off your shoes and you follow the guide who explains you the unknown rites of this religion. A Futé visit to know a religion better, but also a flourishing culture and arts.

The largest mosque in Uzbekistan was inaugurated in autumn 2014. Desired by the president, Islam Karimov, it was inaugurated with great pomp and ceremony and can accommodate 2,400 people. Made of white marble and taking up the classical architecture of the country, its mosaics represent the sky. The gold-covered mirhab is based on writings from the Qur'an and the central building is flanked by two high minarets. The ensemble is not yet very patinated and in this sense still lacks a bit of charm, but all around have been created pleasant green spaces along the Ankhor canal.

Built by Master Sinan in 1580 on behalf of Kılıç Ali Paşa, the complex (külliye) initially included a mosque, a medersa (school), a hammam, a mausoleum and a public fountain distributed in a square space according to a precise geometric arrangement. Its architectural style has many similarities with Saint Sophia. Flanked by two half-domes, the central dome and the four buttresses on the sides are indeed a replica.

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.

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.