Veli Mahmud Paşa Tomb

It is reported that he came from a family belonging to the Serbian despots of Thessaly, known as the Angeloi, and that his father was Michael Angelus. Although the exact time he was brought to the palace is unknown, it is said that in 1427 he was captured with his mother by one of the Ottoman beys, Mehmed Ağa, and raised under his patronage.
During the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror, he rose rapidly to the ranks of Janissary Agha and vizier. He played important roles during the conquest of Istanbul, the Siege of Belgrade, and held key positions as Beylerbeyi of Rumelia and grand vizier. He gained success in the Serbian and Morea campaigns and was active in the campaigns of Lesbos, Sinop, Trabzon, Bosnia, and Karaman. He made major contributions to the Eğriboz campaign and the Battle of Otlukbeli.
However, after the victory at Otlukbeli, he was dismissed from his post due to various accusations and retired to his estate in Hasköy. Conflicts and political rivalries with Şehzade Mustafa led to his imprisonment in the Yedikule Dungeons, where he was executed in 1474.

Construction Year: 1463

Ordered by: Veli Mahmud Paşa

Architect: Unknown

Prominent Features:

Located behind the Mahmud Paşa Mosque, the tomb has a modest entrance with a three-line construction inscription above the door, along with a restoration inscription dated 1730.
The tomb has an octagonal plan and is covered with a dome of 7.37 meters in diameter without a drum.
Each face of the tomb rises to a cornice frame, containing two windows vertically aligned—rectangular lower windows ending in pointed niches and pointed-arched upper windows.
The lower parts of the windows are made of küfeki stone, while the upper sections are decorated with tiles. The surfaces between the moldings and windows are adorned with turquoise and dark blue tiles featuring clusters of eight- and six-pointed stars and checkered patterns in Seljuk style.
The interior is simple; beneath a later-added wooden floor lies the original brick flooring. The sarcophagus of Mahmud Paşa stands on a marble base at the center, and a smaller sarcophagus belonging to his son is placed near the entrance.
The tomb was restored in 1827 and again in 1949–1950, with the tile decorations remaining unaffected. The cemetery between the mosque and the tomb contains the graves of palace members and high-ranking religious and state officials.