One of the most beautiful fountains outside the historical walls of Istanbul is the Tophane Fountain. Ahmed Agha, the architect of the fountain, built in1732 in the Turkish Rococo style during the reign of Mahmud I.

This fountain, which was tried to be cleaned and preserved from time to time, used to be located in a crowded square next to the Tophane pier. Later, when the coast was filled, it remained quite inland from the sea.

The elegant fountain in front of the Sokullu Mehmed Pasha Mosque, next to the foot of the Unkapanı Bridge in Azapkapı, is called the Saliha Sultan Fountain. The construction of the fountain has a pleasant story: IV. As Mehmed’s wife Rabia Gülnuş Valide Sultan passes by Azapkapı one day, her eye catches a little girl crying in front of a simple fountain here.

Although he wants to put some money in his hand to console the little girl, he says that he cries not because the child’s testicle is broken, but because he cannot bring water to his house.

The sultan, who likes the answer of this girl named Saliha, takes her to his palace, raises her carefully for years. When he reached the age of his son II. He marries her to Mustafa.

Sultan Saliha wishes to build a large fountain worthy of his place instead of that simple, small neighborhood fountain in which his jug was broken years ago. But for some reason, he cannot fulfill this desire. Years later, his son I. When Mahmud ascends the throne, he takes action to fulfill this desire of his mother:

In accordance with the style of the Tulip Age, Mustafa Ağa from Kayseri had a large fountain decorated with exquisite stone workmanship built instead of that small neighborhood fountain, and brought its water from the Taksim water connected to the Topuzlu Bendi. The two large domes of the fountain, built in 1732/33, stand out at first. The domes are said to be inspired by Sultan Saliha’s fluffy breasts.