SOKULLU MEHMET PASHA MOSQUE

The Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Complex is a work consisting of a mosque, a madrasa (college of that time), a lodge, a fountain, and a graveyard in Istanbul Kadırga, built by Mimar Sinan in 1571. It is considered one of Sinan's most beautiful works. Sokullu Mehmet Pasha served as grand vizier to three Ottoman Sultans.

In the foundation charter of Sokullu Mehmed Pasha (d. 987/1579), who gave the complex its name, it is stated that both the madrasah adjacent to his tomb in Eyüp and the mosque in Kadırga were built by the pasha as a gift to his wife, Ismihan Sultan. On the other hand, in the foundation charter of Ismihan Sultan, the buildings were directly attributed to him.

The lodge in the complex is one of the rare cult structures remaining from the classical period of Ottoman architecture.

It also has the distinction of being the only mosque built with stones of Hacerü'l Esved. While Hajar al-AsvAd, which was found in the Kaaba, was taken into preservation, the pieces of 10 cm in size were brought during the construction of the mosque and were framed in gold at four different points.

The complex, which does not have an outer courtyard, has three gates on three different streets and at three different levels. The complex, located on a sloping land, is one of the rare works in this respect. Mimar Sinan (Sinan the Architect) was able to skillfully turn topographical difficulties into an aesthetic effect. The mosque has a single minaret and a single dome.

The Iznik (Nicea) tiles used in the mosque have a unique beauty. The dominant color in tiles is turquoise, but the famous "bright coral red" of Iznik tiles is also used. This shade of red has been used for about fifty years, and the same shade has not been achieved since its formula was lost. For this reason, there are only two mosques where bright coral red is used. One of them is Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Mosque.

This complex and mosque in the galley survived many natural disasters for centuries unscathed and remained open to worship uninterruptedly until today.