Native name: Büyük Mecidiye Camii
Ortakoy mosque is located at the waterside of the Ortaköy pier square , one of the most popular locations on the Bosphorus . The original mosque was built in the 18th century . The current standing mosque was built on the place of that original one . It was constructed between 1854 and 1856 by the royal architect Nikogos Balyan , the same architect who designed the nearby Dolmabahçe Palace , during the reign of Sultan Abdulmecid .
The mosque is constructed in Baroque style and consists of intimate rooms and a private area for the sultans (sultan lodge) . It is decorated with several examples of Islamic calligraphy done by the Sultan Abdülmecid himself who was also a master calligrapher . The wide , Double lined large arched high windows provide good i1lumination for the mosque as they let the wonderful light reflections of the Bosphorus shine inside it . The mosque has two minarets each with a single balcony that can be reached by a flight of stairs . There is a single dome with its outer surface decorated with pink mosaics while from the inside it is adorned by handcarvings . The walls of the mosque itself are made of white stone . The wall of the mihrab (niche) was made of marble and decorated with mosaic while the minbar (pulpit) is made with
porphyry covered marble .
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