Evliya Çelebi describes the mosque, dedicated to the mother of Mehmed IV, as follows:
It is a holy mosque at Edirnekapısı located on a high ground. . . . Its outer courtyard is totally under the shadow of tall plane trees. . . . Outside the qıbla [direction of prayer] door, there is a courtyard furnished with white raw marble, which looks like an open area [sahra]. Along the four sides of the courtyard there are colonnaded sofas whose blue domes made of lead rest on vaults carried by different kinds of columns. The openings on all the four sides are covered with glass. In the middle of the courtyard, there is a fountain [havuz şadırvanı]. The courtyard has a qıbla door and two side doors. The outer courtyard is adorned with fruit trees.
Source: Travel Account, 17th century
-Nurhan Atasoy, Seyit Ali Kahraman
Resources:
Evliya Çelebi Seyahatnâmesi: Topkapı Sarayı Bağdat 304 Yazmasının transkripsiyonu (Open in Zotero)
Originally published at: Atasoy, Nurhan, and Seyit Ali Kahraman “Courtyard of Mihrimâh Sultan Mosque.” Middle East Gardens Traditions. Dumbarton Oaks, December 1, 2014. https://www.doaks.org/resources/middle-east-garden-traditions/catalogue/C98. Archived at: https://perma.cc/5UDZ-R9BM.
