Fatih Mosque

Fatih Mosque review

Fatih Mosque is a popular place for pious picnickers. The vast 18th-century baroque structure is built on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles, burial place of most Byzantine emperors, including Constantine. The church was already in ruins by the time Mehmet II conquered Constantinople. He used it as a quarry for a mosque built in 1470 to celebrate his victory (fatih means 'conqueror'). Most of Mehmet's original structure was destroyed by an earthquake in 1766; all that remains is the courtyard and parts of the main entrance. The tomb of the Conqueror stands behind the prayer hall.