🕌 Atik Valide Mosque

The Atik Valide Mosque, meaning Old Mother Mosque, is a 16th century Ottoman imperial mosque located on a hill above the large and densely populated district of Üsküdar, in Istanbul, Turkey. It was built for Nurbanu Sultan, the wife of Sultan Selim II and formed part of a large complex that included a madrasa, guest-rooms and a double caravanseray. The mosque was designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. Planning began in 1571 for a small mosque with a single minaret. The mosque was subsequently expanded and was not completed until 1586, three years after Nurbanu's death.