English: General view towards the entrance with to the right the Hünkar mahfili: an area from where the sultan could attend the service without being seen (or only partially because of a grating). It would often be raised and afford privacy as well as safety from murder attempts. It would often connect to the Hünkar kasrı, a set of rooms with generally their own entrance, for the sultan and his retinue.

The Beylerbeyi Mosque (also known as the Hamid-I Evvel Mosque) is an Ottoman Baroque mosque, built in 1777-1778, and was commisioned by Abdülhamid I in the memory of his mother Rabia Sermi Sultan. Its architect was maybe (in many cases the actual architect was not known, but a “chief architect” who oversaw all sort of building sites in town was often mentioned) Mehmed Tahir Ağa.

The dome has been replaced as the original one was damaged, and the two minarets were not in the original design but built in 1810-11. The mosque is on the side of the Bosporus in a neighbourhood called Beylerbeyi itself.