Trabzon - Ortahisar Mosque

The Cumhuriyet quarter of Trabzon begins beyond the Tabakhane Deresi (fine views from the viaduct) at the old citadel hill. The most notable building in this district is the Orthisar Camii or Fatih Camii, originally a 13th century Byzantine church known as the Panagia Chrysokephalos (Church of the Virgin with the Golden Head), a name which derives from the gilded dome above the crossing. It has a Latin cross plan with a nave flanked by lower aisles and cut by the transept. The galleries over the aisles which are marked off from the nave by triforia were the gynaecea, the areas reserved for women. Outside the main doorway stand a fountain and a marble basin for ritual washing (sadirvan).