Just after the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the great Imperator Sultan Mehmed II, among people and history better known as Mehmed the Conqueror, built the imposing complex on the Fevzi Pasha Street, and on the ruined foundations of the former Church of the Apostles. This is the Fatih Complex, which also includes the Fatih Mosque, one of the most beautiful mosques in Istanbul. The famous Turkish architect Atik Sinan, known as Sinan the Elder, worked on the construction of this complex and he did a really good job.
However, the Classical style one can notice and is prevalent here is not entirely a reflection of what the Fatih Mosque initially imagined to be. Furthermore, besides the classic style, we can be observed some parts of the facility which are in Baroque style and these are particularly ornaments of the mosque. The reason is the renovation and reconstruction of the building after several strong earthquakes, which Sultan Mustafa III ordered to fix the mosque. At that time the main master who was in charge of the reconstruction was the architect Mehmet Tahir Aga.
Already at first glance, you'll notice that this mosque has two minarets. However, if you look a little closer, there are obvious changes it has survived, and that is additional Sheref or minaret balcony, so now every minaret has two balconies. The complex also has a Medrese, a place where the believers learned about Muslim customs, and there is also Caravanserai. Some objects that were here, in the beginning, do not longer exist, such as a library. Within the complex are accommodated the tombs of its builder Sultan Mehmed II, his mother Naksidil Sultan and his wife Gulbahar Hatun.
If you love to go around mosques, no matter which religion you belong to, your holiday in Istanbul will not be complete without a stroll through Kalenderhane Mosque, or if you don’t go to the Ortakoy Mosque, or do not spend at least some time in admiring the beauty of Rustem Pasha Mosque.