Şehzade Mosque

Şehzade mosque is one of the famous Ottoman heirlooms in Istanbul. It is located approximately opposite the Metropolitan Municipality building in Fatih district.

It was made built by Kanuni Sultan Süleyman on behalf of his son Mehmed, to the Architect Sinan, who died before he was a sultan. Its construction took five years and was completed in 1548. It is also known as ’Şehzade Mehmed Mosque'. Architect Sinan, the chief architect of the Ottoman palace, is known to have said ‘My apprenticeship work’ for the Şehzade mosque.

Its walls, with five doors, and its windows rise in a courtyard. It has a square plan. Spaciousness and fine workmanship stand out in the interior of the mosque, which is covered with the main dome on four massive free-standing pillars and four half domes at the corners. It has two extremely elegant minarets with decorations.

Numerous shrines stand out in the mosque. The mausoleum of Şehzade Mehmed, built by Mimar Sinan, is an octagonal planned structure where decorations and ornaments will attract attention. It makes its name mentioned with its tiles offering a riot of colors. The mausoleum also contains the cist of Şehzade Cihangir. Near it, you can see the mausoleum of Rüstem Paşa, which was made also by the same precious architect.