Kalenderhane Mosque

The Kalenderhane Mosque is distinguished by the massive, weathered brick arches of its central dome and the deep red masonry that sets it apart from the surrounding neighborhood. Originally built as the Byzantine Church of the Theotokos Kyriotissa, it later served as the headquarters for a dervish order before becoming a mosque. Inside, an archaeologist once uncovered a rare eighth-century mosaic of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, hidden behind centuries of plaster and dust since the church was converted.