Nuriosmaniye Mosque Complex

The complex is located in Eminönü, north-west of the Çemberlitaş monument at the entrance to the Covered Bazaar. The construction of the complex was started by Sultan Mahmud I in 1749, but was not completed until a year after his death in 1755. The architect was Simeon Kalfa.
The complex consists of a mosque, a medresse, a soup kitchen, a library, a mausoleum, a public fountain and fountain with a spout. It is in the Baroque style and includes the many shops that surround it.

The Nuruosmaniye Mosque is very distinctive from the point of view of Ottoman mosque architecture. Its three dimensional stone ornaments are unparalleled in world architecture and are a unique masterpiece of the Baroque style. It has a single dome encircled at its base with 32 windows. The mosque is illuminated by 174 windows. The most striking of the interior decorations are the lines of the walls and dome. There are two minarets each having two galleries. For the first time, a stone rather than lead crescent was used on top of the minarets.

The medresse and soup kitchen are found to the north of the mosque, on the right as you enter the courtyard from the direction of the Covered Bazaar. They are placed in such a way as to give the courtyard the shape of a crescent. The fountain with spout is on the right as you enter from the direction of the Covered Bazaar to the left the public fountain. They are both in the Baroque style. The tomb and library are situated behind the sovereign's assembly place. Sultan Osman III's mother is buried in the mausoleum. The Nuruosmaniye Library is among the most elegant libraries of Ýstanbul and its many valuable manuscripts are available to readers today.