Çinili Mosque

This guide to Cinili Mosque in Istanbul centers on Kosem Sultan, the wife and mother of sultans who by 1640 was effectively running the Ottoman Empire from behind a curtain, and who chose Uskudar for this single-domed mosque built for her neighborhood rather than for her own glory. Inside, you'll hear how the hand-painted tulip and rose tiles lining its walls mark a moment when the great Ottoman ceramic workshops were already fading, their once-famous coral reds bleeding toward brown. Look closely at the glaze near the entrance, where the imperfections show plainest.