Fodor's Expert Review Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Camii

Sultanahmet Mosque

Built in 1571 for Sokollu Mehmet Pasha, a grand vizier to three successive sultans, this small mosque is not as grand as the Süleymaniye Camii (in the Bazaar Quarter), but many consider it to be one of the most beautiful of the mosques built by master Ottoman architect Sinan. Here, Sinan chose not to dazzle with size but to create a graceful, harmonious whole—from the courtyard and porticoes outside to the interior, where floral-motif stained-glass windows and gorgeous, well-preserved İznik tiles with both floral patterns and calligraphic inscriptions are set off by white stone walls. Inside, the minbar (pulpit), delicately carved in white marble and crowned with a tiled conical cap, is particularly noteworthy.

Mosque

Quick Facts

Şehit Mehmet Paşa Yokuşu
Istanbul, Istanbul  Turkey

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