Rüstempasha Mosque

Rüstempasha Mosque

Rüstempasha Mosque is one of the works of the great Turkish architect Sinan. It was built by Grand Vizier Rüstempasha, the son-in-law (1560). It is located in Nalburlar Bazaar, near the Eminönü New Mosque and the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul.

The main feature of the mosque is that it was built high. Taking advantage of this, shops were built under it. The courtyard can be reached by a two-sided ladder. The courtyard is covered. The last congregation place is covered with five domes. The dome of the mosque rests on a pulley, descends from the pulley to the arches with its corners, and the arches are superimposed on four octagonal filaments.

Rüstempasha Mosque is one of the mature works of Sinan, where it is the simplest, but most easily, reasonably solved the difficulties of all kinds of building issues. In order to comply with the conditions of his / her location, the architect showed his genius: He built the mosque on six empty courtyards on a coastal Golden Horn, making it visible from all sides.

One of the most important features of the Rüstempasha Mosque is that it is covered with Iznik tiles. In our age, Rüstem Pasha Mosque has a great value in this respect, since the Iznik tile from that period has decreased considerably. Only the interior of the half domes were later illustrated by the Baroque period, in a way that does not fit the mosque’s tile decorations.

It is the Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent. He served as a grand vizier for 14 years, intermittently. He married Mihrimah Sultan, daughter of Kanuni in 1544.

Although Rüstem Pasha left many charity works, he was never loved in his time. The mosque built by Mimar Sinan in Istanbul is one of the masterpieces of Turkish architecture.