29 Sha’ban 1446

To prevent bugs and insects from entering the mosque, Mimar Sinan used ostrich eggs. Thanks to the ostrich egg placed right in the middle of the chandeliers, bugs and pests cannot enter the mosque.

• Tarawih is not khatm (non-complete recitation).
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

3 Ramadan 1446

A 16th-century work, Mihrimah Sultan Mosque bears the characteristic features of its era in terms of the use of stone and decorative elements. The küfeki stone used in the wall masonry, as in Mimar Sinan’s works, was preferred for structural use. In addition to Marmara marble, quality natural stones were also partly used in architectural elements for their decorative properties.

• Tarawih is khatm (complete recitation).
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

4 Ramadan 1446

A large piece of the Kiswa (Kaaba covering) hanging on the wall to the left of the mihrab was recently stolen. The main entrance in the middle of the five-bay last congregation area is framed only by muqarnas friezes. The ta‘liq-inscribed poetic foundation inscription above the door, giving the start and end dates, was written by Osmanzâde Ahmed Tâib Efendi, in the hand of Fındıkzâde İbrâhim Efendi.

• Tarawih is not khatm.
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

7 Ramadan 1446

We can call this mosque a transitional work from classical architecture to Baroque. Moreover, the mosque holds (even uniquely) the distinction of being a first in many respects. Built in the Baroque style, it is entirely distinct from the classical style. Its semicircular courtyard in particular emphasizes this. With this characteristic, the mosque is the first major and important work of the new style in Ottoman architecture.

• Tarawih is not khatm.
• Salām is given every 4 rak‘ahs.

8 Ramadan 1446

Sultan Ahmet Mosque is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets. The minarets are pencil-shaped, with two balconies on the front minarets. In the West, due to its intense blue and white tiles, it is known as the Blue Mosque. In travel writings about Istanbul in foreign sources, you may see it referred to as the Blue Mosque.

• Tarawih is khatm.
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

11 Ramadan 1446

The above-ground building height of the mosque is 20.70 meters; the dome height is 9.6 meters; total skyline height is 30.3 meters. According to statements, these heights were designed with consideration to the heights of the nearby Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church and the Surp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Catholic Church.

• Tarawih is not khatm.
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

12 Ramadan 1446

Located in Tophane Square and built in 1581 by Mimar Sinan at the request of Kapudan Pasha Kılıç Ali Paşa, this mosque is said to have the following story: Kılıç Ali Paşa asked Sultan Murad III for land to build a mosque. The Sultan, as he was the Grand Admiral, told him to build it on the sea. So the Pasha made an agreement with Mimar Sinan and began constructing the mosque by piling stone, earth, and rubble along the Tophane quay. For this reason, Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque is said to be the first mosque built over the sea.

• Tarawih is not khatm.
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

15 Ramadan 1446

Located at the intersection of Kaptanpaşa Street and Abdi Efendi Street in Üsküdar, Kaptan Paşa Mosque was first built as a mescit (small mosque) in 1499 by Hamza Fakih Efendi. Over time, the mescit fell into ruin and was rebuilt in its current form as a mosque in 1728–1729 by the Grand Admiral Kaymak Mustafa Paşa.

• Tarawih is not khatm.
• Salām is given every 4 rak‘ahs.

16 Ramadan 1446

One of the seven imperial (selatin) mosques on Istanbul’s seven hills. It was built on the hill closest to the Golden Horn. The construction date is 1522, and its architect is debated. It is thought to have been built by Architect Ali, since Mimar Sinan was not yet recognized by the palace in 1522.

• Tarawih is khatm.
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

19 Ramadan 1446

Evliya Çelebi described the mosque in the 17th century as follows: “On the inner side of Edirne Gate stands a grand mosque on an exalted ground, ranking with the palaces of other imperial mosques. Commissioned by Süleyman Han in the name of his daughter, all expenses were disbursed from the imperial treasury. Its mihrab, minbar, and gallery are exquisitely crafted; however, there is no royal lodge, and its outer harem is entirely shaded by plane trees. On all four sides are madrasa cells. There is a bath and a market, but no guesthouse or hospital. Its minaret is a single-tiered lofty minaret” (Seyahatname, I, 165).

• Tarawih is khatm.
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

20 Ramadan 1446

Commissioned by Rum Mehmet Paşa, an Ottoman vizier of Greek origin. It has the distinction of being the first mosque built on the Asian side of Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire.

• Tarawih is not khatm.
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

23 Ramadan 1446

Evliya Çelebi described the mosque in the 17th century as follows: “On the inner side of Edirne Gate stands a grand mosque on an exalted ground, ranking with the palaces of other imperial mosques. Commissioned by Süleyman Han in the name of his daughter, all expenses were disbursed from the imperial treasury. Its mihrab, minbar, and gallery are exquisitely crafted; however, there is no royal lodge, and its outer harem is entirely shaded by plane trees. On all four sides are madrasa cells. There is a bath and a market, but no guesthouse or hospital. Its minaret is a single-tiered lofty minaret” (Seyahatname, I, 165).

• Tarawih is khatm.
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.

24 Ramadan 1446

Toward the end of the 19th century, the İslâm Bey Mosque was granted a sheikhdom by the Egyptian Sheikh Haseneyn al-Ahmedî and began operating as the “Bedewi Lodge.” After Haseneyn Efendi, M. Âşir Efendi and his son Sheikh Hafız İbrahim Efendi served as sheikhs. The İslambey Lodge became a frequent stop not only for Egyptian-origin sheikhs but also for Egyptian basket weavers and travelers.

• Tarawih is not khatm.
• Salām is given every 4 rak‘ahs.

27 Ramadan 1446

Firuz Ağa Mosque is located in Sultanahmet’s Atmeydanı. It was built in 1491 by Firuz Ağa, treasurer to Bayezid II. With its dome sitting on an eight-sided drum, the mosque is in the Bursa style. The four-column, three-arched, domed portico of the last congregation area is accessed by stairs.

• Tarawih is not khatm.
• Salām is given every 4 rak‘ahs.

28 Ramadan 1446

Located in the Kadırga district of Eminönü, the complex is a work of Mimar Sinan and consists of a mosque, madrasa, lodge, shops, and fountains. The question of who endowed the mosque is debated. In Sokullu Mehmed Paşa’s (d. 1579/987 AH) endowment deed, both the madrasa adjacent to his tomb in Eyüp and the mosque in Kadırga are said to have been built by the Pasha as gifts to his wife İsmihan Sultan, whereas in İsmihan Sultan’s deed these structures are attributed directly to her.

• Tarawih is khatm.
• Salām is given every 2 rak‘ahs.