Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Mosque

One of Istanbul’s many jewels

The best Mosque we visited :)

One of the greatest mosques of Istanbul built by Mimar Sinan

SOKOLLU MEHMET PASHA MOSQUE The mosque was constructed by Mimar Sinan commissioned by Sokollu Mehmed Pasha in 1578 The mosque which was built in the style of Selimiye Mosque was raised by constrücting underground cellars to its basement due to its place that people and their boats had croweded Dueto the fact that the mosque was constructed right outside the Galata Walls, it was called as Azapkapı Mosque, too.The minaret of the mosque was constructed separately on the left side.The reason for this;is that the structure is very close to the sea.There is no courtyard.Narthex is reached via the stairs in both ways.Rectangular planned mosque's mihrab sticks out.The main dome is based on eight arches.Side sofas form a floor with a portico.The dome is surrounded by corridors shaped like U. Mihrab's front sticks out to outside and its top was covered with a semi-dome.Eight supports carrying the central dome were reflected to outside and their tops were covered with dome.Tile applications are seen in the interior As it was damaged in the fire of 1807 and its minaret partially being demolished, it has been reconstructed starting from the pulpit section.Shortly before the Balkan Wars and World War I, mosque was repaired but the repair was suspended due to the war and it stayed a wreck for long years to come.Mosque went under an extensive repair in 1938, and only after then could be opened for praying in 1941. As the original inscription of the mosque on one of the doors was broken, it was rewritten by Kamil Akdik according to its old pattern in 1941 again.Dome writings are the works of Halim Efendi, one of the latest era calligraphers

We visited around midday on a Sunday. It is padlocked closed and perhaps has some maintenance happening inside (not this day). Exterior is nice and clean and there is a nice historical fountain nearby.