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The Dolmabahçe Mosque is
located on the
Bosphorus in the
southern part of
Dolmabahce Palace.
Construction of the
mosque began at the
behest of
Sultan Abdülmecid's
mother, Bezmialem Valide
Sultan, but when she died,
Sultan Abdülmecid took over.
It was completed in 1855,
and the architect was
Karabet Balyan. It is one of
the highly decorated
Baroque-style
mosques. Being part of
the palace complex, the
mosque contains a front
section in which the
sovereign and state
officials could worship and
a two-storey section for the
sovereign suitable for the
public procession of the
Sultan to the
mosque on Fridays. The
circular arrangement of the
windows, which resembles a
peacock's tail, is an
unusual sight relatively
unknown among the architects
of
mosques.
The two
minarets both have a
gallery. The inner door is
decorated in a mixture of
the Baroque and Empire
styles. A valuable
chandelier hangs from the
alcove. The niche (mihrap)
and pulpit (minber)
of the
mosque are made of
porphyry marble.
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