Istanbul: Aksaray - Valide Mosque

Located at Aksaray Square, the mosque was built by Pertevniyal Valide Sultan, mother of Sultan Abdülaziz, and the architect was Sarkis Balyan.
The foundations were laid in 1869 and construction completed in 1871. The complex consists of the mosque, school, shrine, timekeepers' clock room and water distribution centre.
The design differs from other 19th century mosques with regard to its mass and the richness and variety of the decoration on the facades.
The interior design is in the neo-Gothic style