#pertevniyalsultan

The Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque

The Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque, also known as the Aksaray Valide Mosque (Turkish: Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Camii, Aksaray Valide Sultan Camii), is a grand Ottoman imperial mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. It is located at the intersection of Ordu Street and Atatürk Boulevard in the Aksaray neighborhood beside the Pertevniyal High School (Turkish: Pertevniyal Lisesi) which was also built by the order of Sultana Pertevniyal in 1872.

The mosque attracts 400-500 worshipers during regular prayer times and over 2,500 worshipers during Friday prayers

One of the last mosques built in Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire, the Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque was created for Pertevniyal Sultan, a consort of Sultan Mahmud II and mother of Sultan Abdülaziz.

It was probably designed by Sarkis Bey of the Ottoman Armenian Balyan family of architects. Construction began in November 1869, and the mosque was finished in 1871.

An inscription above the gate leading to the courtyard gives the date. Other documents indicate that the foundations were created during different ceremonies in Sha'ban 1285/ November 1869. Pertevniyal Sultan died in 1883, thirteen years after the completion of the mosque, and was then buried within it.

The construction took three years to complete.

After numerous local roadworks, the mosque - approached via a grand gateway adorned with fountains - is now below the level of the surrounding streets.

The mosque was cleaned and restored in the 2010s.

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