#4 - day one | Yeni Cami or New Mosque

Kalau Approaching Lombok dengan bandara lama, berasa pantes kalau Lombok dijuluki pulau seribu mesjid, begitu yang saya rasakan ketika pesawat akan mendarat di Istanbul, puluhan minaret dengan menara khas menjulang di sana sini, dan ketika inland, baru bener berasa kalo jarak satu cami ke cami yang lain beneran bisa 200 meter aja. Jadi ketika waktu shalat berkumandang, udah berasa familiar banget sayah, karena azan bisa berkumandang bak bersahut-sahutan....betahhhhh

Rencananya setelah istirahat, kita mau jalan ke surrounding hotel, apa daya setelah sempet car makan sebentar, terus bobok siang, tubuh gak bisa diboongin kalau ternyata butuh much more waktu istirahat... Yang ada bablas ketiduran sampe waktu gelap jelang magrib... Pasrah jadinya....

Tapi kita tetap menjalankan misi untuk jalan-jalan ke arah sultan ahmet city.... Ternyata gak 15 minute walk yahhhh seperti orang hotel bilang tapi 30 menit artinya sekitar 3 kilo dari hotel, kalau ukuran orang Turki iyalah 15 menit la wong langkahnya panjang-panjang dan cepet-cepet gitu .....

Kita sampai ke Yeni Cami atau New Mosque, yang menurut wikipedia ini dia history nyah...

The Yeni Cami, meaning New Mosque; originally named theValide Sultan Mosque (Turkish: Valide Sultan Camii) and later New Valide Sultan Mosque (Turkish: Yeni Valide Sultan Camii) after its partial reconstruction and completion between 1660 and 1665; is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Eminönü quarter ofIstanbul, Turkey. It is situated on the Golden Horn, at the southern end of the Galata Bridge, and is one of the famous architectural landmarks of Istanbul.

The construction of the mosque began in 1597. It was ordered by Sultana Safiye, who was the wife of Sultan Murad III and later Valide Sultan (Queen Mother) of Sultan Mehmed III. She ordered the mosque in her capacity as Valide Sultan, two years after Mehmed III's ascension to the Ottoman throne in 1595, hence the original formal name "Valide Sultan Mosque".

The original architect was Davut Ağa, an apprentice to the great Mimar Sinan. However, Davut Ağa died in 1599 and was replaced by Dalgıç Ahmed Çavuş. The construction took more than half a century and was completed by another Valide Sultan, Sultana Turhan Hatice, mother of Sultan Mehmed IV.

The project was hampered by political disconnect, and its location and monetary implications created dissent in the court. The Eminönü neighborhood was the city's foremost commercial center, and home to a predominantly Jewish population. In situating the mosque there, Sultana Safiye hoped to extend the sphere of Islamic influence within the city, capitalizing on the growing discontent of local and foreign merchants caused by the growing power and influence of their Jewish counterparts, which gave the Sultan an easy justification for confiscating their property. However, the vast monetary outlay drew sharp criticism. In particular, the Janissaries resented the growing political power of the Valide Sultan, and believed the mosque to be an unnecessary expenditure. Sultana Safiye was forced to abandon the project upon Mehmed III's death in 1603. The new Sultan, Ahmed I, had no interest in pursuing the project after Sultana Safiye was relegated to the harem and the construction was abandoned.

Alhamdulillah, Aa sempet shalat Isya disitu, lah bukannya tadi udah dijama' hehe... Speechless liat mesjid ini beneran... Eksterior nya grand banget seperti kastil keliatan mewah, interior nya kecil padahal tapi kaligrafi yang penuh di langit langit mesjid itu beneran bikin stun.