Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque: Iznik tiles and pieces of the Kaaba

Updated on October 4, 2026

Clinging to a steep street in the Kadırga district, less than ten minutes' walk from the Hippodrome of Constantinople, the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque is one of Mimar Sinan's most discreet gems. It was completed in 1571-1572 for the grand vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha and his wife İsmihan Sultan, daughter of Sultan Selim II, on the site of a former Byzantine church. Its small prayer hall holds some of the finest Iznik tiles in the city and fragments of the Black Stone of the Kaaba, brought back from Mecca. Entry is free outside prayer times; allow 20 to 30 minutes.

Highlights

The prayer hall

Sinan set a 13 m dome on a hexagonal base, braced at the corners by four half-domes. The space is intimate: you take in the whole volume at a glance, from the side galleries on columns to the gallery above the entrance.

The mihrab wall

The wall facing Mecca is covered in Iznik tiles with blue, red and green flowers, broken by calligraphic bands in white letters on a blue ground, beneath colourful stained-glass windows. The white marble minbar is topped by a conical roof also sheathed in tiles, a rare feature.

The fragments of the Black Stone

Small pieces of the Black Stone of the Kaaba are set into the building: above the main door, in a gilded brass frame, and above the mihrab and the minbar. They are small and easy to miss: ask the caretaker to point them out.

The two-level courtyard

To cope with the slope, Sinan set the courtyard on top of shops opening onto the street; you enter by a vaulted staircase that comes out facing the ablution fountain. The cells of the former madrasa line the courtyard under their small domes, and the cemetery next door keeps carved Ottoman tombstones. Also look for the remains of original paintwork above the entrance and under the gallery ceilings.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Entry is free and needs no booking. The mosque closes to visitors during the five daily prayers, and on Fridays until the end of the midday prayer; being off the main routes, it may also be locked between prayers, so come just after a prayer, when the doors are open. Dress code: shoulders and knees covered for everyone, hair covered for women, shoes off at the entrance. The streets of Kadırga are steep and cobbled: wear good shoes. Information checked in October 2026; for visiting rules, see our guide to visiting a mosque in Istanbul.

How to get there

Küçük Ayasofya Mahallesi, Şehit Mehmet Paşa Yokuşu 15, 34122 Fatih, Istanbul. Tram T1, Sultanahmet stop, then about 10 minutes on foot: walk south along the Hippodrome and down Şehit Mehmet Paşa Yokuşu. From the Blue Mosque, allow 5 to 10 minutes on foot; our Sultanahmet guide places the mosque in relation to the major monuments.