An elderly Turk and his grandson entering the Yeni Valide Sultan Camii for noon prayers. The majority of Turks are devout Muslims, and although Islam is the state's religion, Turkey is a secular nation. The Yeni Valide Sultan Camii in Eminonu was commissioned in 1600 by Sultana Safiye, widow of Sultan Murat III (1574-95) and mother of Sultan Mehmed III (1595-1603). The msoque was completed by Turhan Hadice, mother of Sultan Mehmet IV, who instructed Mehmet Aga in 1660 to complete the building.
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