Hüsrev Paşa Tomb

Hüsrev Paşa, known by the nickname ‘Deli’ (the Mad), was one of the notable beylerbeys and statesmen of the Ottoman Empire. He served as governor-general of key provinces such as Diyarbakır, Aleppo, and Damascus, and rose to the rank of Rumeli Beylerbeyi and Second Vizier.
Throughout his life, he commissioned many charitable works and was known as a respected and influential statesman. He played a major role in the development of the district through the school, market, and mosque mentioned in biographical dictionaries and Evliya Çelebi’s Travelogue.

Construction Year: Mid-16th century

Ordered by: Hüsrev Paşa

Architect: Mimar Sinan

Prominent Features:

The tomb has an octagonal plan both inside and out and is built of küfeki stone.
Each side, except for the entrance façade, features two pointed-arch windows, one above the other.
Above the entrance is a two-line inscription containing chronogrammatic verses (AH 952 / AD 1545) with prayers for mercy and intercession for the deceased.
The tomb’s rich stonework includes corner column buttresses, string courses, a muqarnas cornice band, and pediments on each façade.
The lead-covered dome rests on a blind drum decorated with relief motifs, and its ridge is adorned with decorative buds.
It is known that the interior walls were originally covered with tiles, though only traces of painted ornamentation have survived to the present.
It is uncertain whether the tomb originally featured a domed portico; it likely had a wooden eave instead.
The tomb is considered a clear example of Mimar Sinan’s early style, notable for its rich exterior decoration in Ottoman Turkish funerary architecture.
The structure suffered extensive damage from fires—especially the fire of 1918—and neglect, but was partially restored in 1950. The wall with windows made of cut küfeki stone was rebuilt in recent times.
Next to the tomb stood a Rifa’i lodge, a small graveyard (hazire), and a simple wooden tomb. The hazire contains gravestones from the 17th to 19th centuries.