Sokollu Mehmet Pasa Camii (Mosque of Sokollu Mehmet Pasha)

Sokollu Mehmet Pasa Camii (Mosque of Sokollu Mehmet Pasha) Review

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, but many consider it to be 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 Iznik 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.