Bird House, Ayazma Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Ottoman Sultan Mustafa III (1717-1774) commissioned the Ayazma Mosque, which rises between the Salacak and Şemsipaşa districts of Üsküdar and built by the architect Mehmed Tahir Ağa in 1761. The mosque was built in memory of his mother Mihrişah Emine Hatun and his elder brother Şehzade Süleyman.
The bath, which was built to generate income for the mosque, as well as many stores of the mosque have not reached the present day. In addition to Ottoman classical design, Western architectural elements have created a different complexion in the structure.
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There are bird houses on the facades of the mosque. These bird houses are Ottomans humble offering to his winged, feathered friends, and one of the oldest and most important expressions of the love of and compassion for animals.
The purpose of these charming bird houses, which the Turks continued to build up to the 19th century, is to provide refuge to birds, who range freely through the skies but are consequently lonely to the same degree, and to protect them from storms, rain, mud and the burning sun.