Description

Essentials about the Rüstem Pasha Mosque in brief

The Rüstem Pasha Mosque suffers from strong competition from the many other important mosques in the center of Istanbul. Although the mosque with its rich interior and exterior decoration is a real gem, many tourists (wrongly) do not have it on the agenda when traveling to Istanbul.

The history of the Rüstem Pasha Mosque

The Rüstem Pasha Mosque is located almost at the end of the Galata Bridge, just a short distance from the Yeni Cami (New Mosque). It was founded in 1561 by Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha and built after his death under the supervision of his foundation administrator and Rüstem Pasha’s wife, the daughter of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, in the following years according to the plans of the famous architect Mimar Sinan. The year of completion is uncertain.

The architecture of the Rüstem Pasha Mosque

The mosque stands on a terrace in a busy bazaar street of the Tahtakale district. It has a single minaret and is especially known for its rich decoration with blue tiles from Iznik. The entire interior and part of the outer walls are decorated with valuable faiences from the period, mostly with tulip motifs. Especially the faience decoration on the outer walls is a type of decoration that cannot be found in any other mosque. The Grand Vizier used it to underline his wealth and influence, as Iznik tiles were then in the midst of their heyday, expensive and, above all, sought after.

The mosque suffered great damage in a fire in 1660. In addition, during an earthquake in 1766, its minaret and dome collapsed. After the renovation and reconstruction, the former structure of the minaret and the dome was not retained.

Website

Unavailable.

Opening hours

Admisson fees

None.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Bus lines 81, BN1 and BN2: Stop Eminönü Misirçarşisi

Bus lines 31E, 92, 92A and 94: Stop Eminönü

By car:

The nearest parking lot is Eminönü Açik.