Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Mosque
Creator: Sinan (Mimar Sinan, Ottoman architect, ca. 1500-1588); Sokullu Mehmet Pasa (Sokullu Mehmed Pasha, Ottoman grand vizier, commissioner, 1506-1579); Date: Image: 27-JUL-13; Location: Kadirga, Fatih, Istanbul (Turkey); Latitude: 41.004662; Longitude: 28.976566; Material: limestone, Iznik tiles, marble; ashlar masonry; Measurements: dome diameter: 11.8 m
As can be seen in the cross section, the Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Mosqu mosque is positioned on a slope. The mosque was built on top of and using the materials from an earlier Byzantine church. The Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Mosque complex harbors a medrese (Islamic school,) a tekke (courtyard,) as well as a rectangular mosque with a dome and four half-domes. The façade, or the front face of the building, features monumental architectural elements. There are cupolas (small domes adorning a roof), as well a main dome that acts as the center of the entire complex.
The mosque is in the center of the complex and the medrese is on the left
-hand side. Here, you can see that the basement was used to utilize space for the school. When one enters the mosque there are two muqarnas niches on either side of the main portal. This decorative sculptural element is reminiscent of honeycombs and is common in Ottoman religious structures. The ablution fountain at the center of the courtyard is where people wash before entering the mosque. The attached photos show the complex as it has recently been restored.
By Emily Jensen, Cassondra Mckenzie, and Lourdes Miller
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- Creator: ordered by Ismihan Sultan in honor of her husband, Sokullu Mehmed Pasha; designed and supervised by Mimar Sinan; Date: c. 1567-72; Location: Istanbul, Turkey
