The mosque which decorates many postcards of the city is right on the Bosphorous, in Ortaköy. It is officially called Büyük Mecidiye Camii (Grand Imperial Mosque). It was ordered to be built by Sultan Abdülmecid on the grounds of an earlier mosque.

The mosque was built between 1854-1856, in neo-Baroque style. Nikoğos Balyan was the architect of the mosque, who was also the architect of the Dolmabahçe Palace. Within the mosque, there are several examples of Islamic calligraphy executed by Sultan Abdülmecid himself.

Tours where Ortakoy Mosque can be visited:

I have a weekend in Istanbul

I have three days in Istanbul

I have four days in Istanbul