Native name: Sokullu Sokollu Pasa Camii
Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Mosque is located in the Kadirga neighborhood of the Eminönü district of Istanbul , Turkey . It was designed by Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan for Grand
Vizier
Sokollu Mehmet Pasha (the husband of one of the granddaughters of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent , Princess Esmahan . Construction of the mosque was between 1571 to 1572 . The mosque is supposed to be officially named after Princess Esmahan , however it is commonly associated far more with her famous husband .
The architectural challenge for the construction of this mosque lies in the fact that it is built on a steep slope . The great architect Sinan managed to resolve this problem by fronting the mosque with a two-story courtyard . The lower story , which no longer exists now , was mainly consisting of shops whose rents were intended to help support the mosque . The upper story consists of small rooms that were originally an open colonnaded courtyard but had the spaces between the columns on three sides walled off . Each room has a small window , fireplace and niche to store bedding , which are the living accommodations for a madrasah . Students were learning in the prayer hall itself , or in the “dershane” which is a large domed room
over the western staircase .
The fourth side of the courtyard consists of the mosque itself . The mosque has a hexagon design inscribed in a rectangle plan . The main dome is supported by small semi-domes in the corners .
The decoration of the interior of the mosque is composed of large quantities of exquisite İznik tiles , set in a wide variety of blue and green floral designs , with panels of calligraphy in white letters . Polychrome marble is used in the interior columns . The minbar is made of white marble with a conical cap which is sheathed in turquoise tiles , also framing the mihrab . Stained glass is used in the windows above the mithrab . There is a Kaaba framed by a gold design above the door .
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