Kazlıçeşme Fatih Mosque

Standing on the meadow of Kazlıçeşme in Istanbul, this mosque is traditionally said to have been built in 1453 on the order of Mehmed the Conqueror while Ottoman forces were still besieging the city, making it, by local tradition, the first mosque associated with the Turkish presence in Istanbul even before the conquest was complete. The surrounding area took its name, meaning "Goose Fountain," from a water source that once refreshed the besieging army and was later decorated with carved goose figures, a spot favored by geese. Over the centuries the mosque was repaired and altered many times, and its minaret, considered the oldest surviving part of the complex, is unusually placed on the left side of the building rather than the customary right. Long neglected, the mosque underwent a major restoration beginning in 2011 and reopened for worship during Ramadan 2015 after four years of work.