Located in Aksaray Square in Istanbul’s Fatih district, the Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque draws attention with its high drum dome, slender and tall minarets, and rich stone decorations, reflecting 19th-century Ottoman architecture as well as Western architectural features such as Baroque and Rococo styles.
The Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque, one of the unique works of 19th-century Ottoman architecture, was commissioned by Pertevniyal Valide Sultan, the wife of Sultan Mahmud II and mother of Sultan Abdülaziz, and constructed between 1869 and 1871. Built as a complex, it includes a mosque, school, tomb, caretaker’s room, library, clock tower, police station, six fountains and seven shops.
Constructed in an eclectic style that combines different architectural influences, the mosque stands out among the Ottoman works of the Westernization period due to its stylistic diversity and rich ornamentation.
Its high drum dome, slender minarets and elaborate stone decorations distinguish it from surrounding buildings, while the intense ornamentation of the stonework and the varied motifs used in arches and window arrangements give the structure a dynamic appearance.
The mosque’s facades are accentuated with corner pillars rising like towers, and the triangular pediments above the windows feature rumi and palmette motifs.
The interior, covered by a pendentive dome approximately 10 meters in diameter, is decorated with intricate painting work, dominated by shades of blue and featuring vegetal motifs and star compositions. A calligraphy band surrounding the walls displays Surah Al-Mulk in thuluth script, while the marble mihrab and minbar reflect classical Ottoman architectural features.
Professor Aziz Doğanay, from the Department of Turkish-Islamic Arts at Marmara University, explained the mosque’s architectural structure and decoration.
Doğanay noted that although the mosque was constructed quickly, influences of turning back to Eastern styles after Baroque elements can be observed. Sources mention multiple possible architects, including Montani Kalfa, Hüseyin Bey, Hüsrev Bey and members of the Balyan family.
Discussing the mosque’s architectural structure and location, Doğanay said: “The Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque features a central dome supported by four piers, similar to coastal mosques, with a sultan’s pavilion at the front, following a 19th-century mosque plan. It does not have a courtyard with arcades, and although it is part of a complex, it does not resemble Selatin mosques. Its location within the city, in a busy commercial center, makes it a multicultural space used actively by people.”
He emphasized that although the architectural style may seem to return from Baroque to Ottoman, it actually represents a synthesis of East and West: “The Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque is fully eclectic. It incorporates corner towers from Indian architecture, triangular pediments from Greek architecture, windows from Gothic architecture, pulpit (minbar) and some ornamentation from Andalusian architecture, and geometric motifs from Ottoman architecture."
"While it can be said that it has moved away from Western Baroque, it cannot be claimed to have fully returned to classical Ottoman architecture. It can be seen as a bridge between modernity and tradition. Structures such as the police station, madrassa, elementary school, tomb, fountains and shops are all integrated here. Being in a commercial center, it has a multicultural character. Visitors from any region can find elements that resonate with their own culture, and its eclectic nature creates a very colorful environment,” he said.
Doğanay highlighted the mosque’s bright and spacious interior, noting that the decoration shows Turkish motifs enhanced by Baroque influences and that Rococo elements are also present. He said the marble craftsmanship of the mihrab and minbar is notable, and the sun-shaped ornament above the mihrab is unique to this mosque.
He added that the minbar’s conical top is shaped like an onion dome, which is not typical in classical Ottoman architecture, yet still reflects Ottoman decorative elements and minbar characteristics.
Doğanay also noted that what distinguishes the Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque from other buildings is its ornate gate opening from the courtyard to the street. “There is a grand and impressive stone gate, with fountains on either side. Above the gate, there are rare inscriptions in calligraphy featuring poems related to the mosque,” he explained.
