Sofa Mosque

The Sofa Mosque has a quiet story.

It was built by Sultan Mahmud the Second. A sultan was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. Before this became a mosque, it was a pavilion. A pavilion was a small palace building, made for rest and special use.

Later, the mosque was repaired and renewed. An inscription over the door tells us this. It says the work was done in 1858 by Sultan Abdülmecid.

So this small mosque carries two moments in palace history. First, it shows the time of Sultan Mahmud the Second. Then it shows the care of Sultan Abdülmecid, who renewed it many years later.