Mausoleum of Sadrazam (Grand Vizier) Piri Mehmet Paşa

The mausoleum of Grand Vizier Piri Mehmet Paşa is located in Silivri district in the west of Istanbul. The mausoleum, which is open and surrounded by iron bars, is located next to the mosque built by the Ottoman statesman in the district. It is located in a small cemetery surrounded by trees. In the marble tomb, which has been renovated in recent years, there is a short inscription on a marble block that introduces him with the dates of his birth and death. 

His grandfather was Cemaleddin Aksarayi, a well-known Mudarris, and his father was Mehmed Cellaleddin Ahmet Çelebi, an educated clergyman. He grew up in Amasya, studied at a madrasah, and worked as governor, and started his career as a bureaucrat with Anatolian Revenue Office. He participated in the Battle of Çaldıran during the Ottoman Empire against the east and attracted the attention of Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim with his words in the war council. On the return he was assigned as vizier in 1514. Four years later he was appointed as Grand Vizier until his retirement in 1523. During his reign, the conquests of Belgrade and Rhodes took place. He is known to have died in 1532 at his farm in Silivri, where he was in seclusion. 

He was known as a serious, cautious and powerful man. He has Poems. He left behind many good works. In Hasköy, there is a neighborhood named after him with the mosque he built. In addition to the mosque in İstanbul there are various works he caused to have been built like the masjid, and lodges in İstanbul and the mosque, madrasah, and soup-kitchen in Silivri and Konya in 1521.