New Mosque (Yeni Cami) in Eminönü: opening hours and visit

Updated on October 4, 2026

Facing the Galata Bridge and the Eminönü ferry piers, the New Mosque (Yeni Cami, also called Yeni Valide Camii) closes the view along the Golden Horn with its cascade of domes and its two minarets. Construction was launched in 1597 by Safiye Sultan, mother of Sultan Mehmed III, then abandoned after 1603; it was taken up again after the great fire of 1660 by Turhan Hatice Sultan, mother of Mehmed IV, completed in 1663 and inaugurated in 1665. The neighbouring Spice Bazaar was part of its complex, together with the imperial pavilion and the tomb of Turhan Sultan. Reopened for worship on 6 January 2023 after a restoration begun in 2016, it can be visited free of charge outside prayer times. Allow 20 to 30 minutes, more if you add the imperial pavilion and the tomb.

Highlights

The prayer hall

The central dome, 17.5 m in diameter, rises to 36 m; buttressed by semi-domes and corner domes, it follows a plan inspired by Sinan's Şehzade Mosque and the Blue Mosque. The large circular chandeliers hang almost down to the carpet, and galleries run along three sides. Look for the mihrab with its gilded muqarnas and the marble minbar topped by a conical roof.

The Iznik tiles

The lower walls and the piers are clad in Iznik tiles, mostly blue, green and white, with floral patterns. They date from the 17th century, and their palette, less vivid than that of the nearby Rüstem Pasha Mosque, shows how the Iznik workshops evolved over a century. During the restoration, damaged tiles were removed, consolidated and put back in place.

The imperial pavilion (Hünkâr Kasrı)

Attached to the corner of the mosque and set on a large arch above the street, this pavilion, completed in 1663, was where the sultan rested before prayers; a passage links it to the imperial loge, closed by a gilded screen, in the prayer hall. Restored by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO), it now hosts free temporary exhibitions, which let you see its tiles and painted ceilings.

The domes from the square

From Eminönü square you can clearly read the stepped arrangement of domes and semi-domes rising towards the central dome between the two minarets. The square in front of the courtyard is the meeting point of pigeons, street vendors and travellers coming off the ferries. The tomb of Turhan Sultan, built in 1663 by the architect Mustafa Ağa, stands east of the mosque, at the corner of Bankacılar and Yeni Cami streets: Mehmed IV, Mustafa II, Ahmed III, Mahmud I and Osman III are also buried there.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Entry is free. The mosque closes to visitors during the five daily prayers (plan to leave about 30 minutes before the call) and on Fridays until the end of the midday prayer. Dress code: shoulders and knees covered, hair covered for women, shoes off at the entrance to the prayer hall. Keep away from the area where worshippers pray. For the imperial pavilion, opening hours depend on the current exhibition (in 2026, open during the day, with one weekly closing day depending on the exhibition): ask at its door, at the corner of the mosque on the Spice Bazaar side. Information as observed in October 2026.

How to get there

Rüstem Paşa Mahallesi, Yeni Cami Caddesi No: 3, 34116 Fatih, Istanbul. Tram T1, Eminönü stop, at the foot of the mosque. Marmaray, Sirkeci station, about a 5-minute walk. Public ferries: Eminönü piers (Üsküdar, Kadıköy, Bosphorus cruises), right opposite. From Karaköy, walk across the Galata Bridge in about ten minutes.