I’ve written several posts on the picturesque Istanbul mahalle of Kuzguncuk on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus—notably on Nostalgia for cosmopolitanism, Epiphany, Greek liturgy, The 1955 riots, The kiosk in Turkey and Europe, Köçek in Kuzguncuk, and Blindman Ali.

Since at least the 19th century Kuzguncuk was mainly populated by Armenians, Jews, and Greeks. By 1933, sources suggest that the population was still 90% non-Muslim. As Amy Mills notes, the present mosque, opposite the iskele ferry and next to the 1835 Armenian church, was only built in 1952, “the first moment in the neighbourhood’s long history when there were enough Muslim Kuzguncuklus to necessitate a local, regular, community gathering space.” It is now blessed with the splendid imam Aydin Hoca (see under The call to prayer).

It’s taken me all this time to visit the bijou rectangular wooden mosque further up the coast towards the bridge—just below the mansion of Sultan Abdülhamid’s cultured confidant Cemil Molla (1864–1941), who sometimes served as imam there, and just past the yalı waterside residence of Sare Hanım (1914–2000), aunt of left-wing poet Nâzım Hikmet (see here).

Built in 1860 by Üryanizade Ahmet Esat Efendi, the mosque was allegedly completed in forty days (see e.g. here). It has a wooden pulpit and preaching platform, and a modest wooden minaret with a single balcony; it has its own boathouse.

Left, 1946; right, 1973—among old and recent images here.

After restoration work started in 2013, the mosque was re-opened for worship in 2017, making a place of great tranquillity, and a reminder of a time when Muslims were a small minority in Kuzguncuk.

Undated.

Further up the coast in Kanlıca, in the square by the ferry, is the İskender Pasha Mosque, where we heard the noon ezan from a riverside café on my first visit in 2021. Not quite so miniature, but still on a human scale, it was built in 1559–60, designed by the great architect (and former Janissary) Mimar Sinan.

All this by way of reflecting on the art of the miniature—by contrast with the grandiose projects of the Ottoman sultans that I churlishly avoid. In rather the same way, in China I’ve never visited the Great Wall, but in the countryside humble little “public buildings” are decked out to become the heart of the ritual life of the community.

3rd-moon festival for female deity Houtu, Shenshizhuang, 1996.

See also under West/Central Asia: a roundup.