Hidayet Mosque

[1] Originally of wood construction, it was reconstructed by the French architect Alexander Vallaury in 1887 under the direction of Abdul Hamid II, as described by the inscription on the entrance to the courtyard.

Stairs lead to the second floor, where there is a prayer room and a domed sanctuary.

[4] Before Hidayet Mosque was built, the small district called tr:Bahçekapı, located between Eminönü and Sirkeci, was a rough district known for murders, prostitution, and general poor conditions.

It was given the informal name of tr:Melek Girmez Sokağı ("The street that angels abandoned") by the locals.

[5] After the plague of 1812, Mahmud II ordered many Istanbul districts including Bahçekapı demolished, and in order to obscure the history of the area, he had the mosque built with the name Hidayet, a word coming from Arabic meaning "seeking the right path".