Kesik Minare

What makes it special

Kesik Minare means the cut minaret: a fire in the 1890s burned off the minaret's wooden cap, and the name stuck. The cap on top today is new, added during the restoration that ran from 2017 to 2022.

The building began as a Roman temple and served as a Byzantine church before it became a mosque. Walk round the outside and you can pick out the Roman foundations, the Byzantine apse, the Seljuk-era doorway and the Ottoman additions.

Pieces of ancient carved stone are set among the later blocks. Look for them in the outer walls, where a carved fragment breaks the line of plain masonry.

Inside, carpet covers most of the floor of the prayer hall. In places it gives way to glass, and the remains of the older buildings show beneath.

Visiting

Quiet as a rule, with few other visitors, the mosque lets you take your time. Walk the full circuit of the outside walls first, since that is where the work of each period is easiest to tell apart.

Then go in by the central entrance. Photographs near it show the building before and after restoration, so look at them first and you will know which parts are old.

Cross the hall slowly and look down for the glass panels set among the carpets. Finish back outside in the garden before you walk on through Kaleiçi.

Tips

Dress for a working mosque, with shoulders and knees covered, and carry a light scarf in case you are asked to cover your hair inside the prayer hall.

Fit the stop into a walk through Kaleiçi rather than making a separate trip. The Yivli Minaret is a few minutes' walk away, and Hadrian's Gate sits at the far end of the same street.