Güzel Ahmet Paşa Tomb
About the Person:
- Ahmet Paşa, who is said to be of Albanian origin, received the nickname “Beautiful” (Güzel) because of his good looks.
- He rose in the palace service and became the Vizier of Kubbealtı (“Under Dome Vizier”, high-rank vizier appointed only by the Sultan or Grand Vizier), and after the death of Sokullu Mehmed Paşa (1579), he was appointed the Grand Vizier.
- His influence increased thanks to his being a son-in-law to the palace; however, he died in 1580.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1580-1581
Ordered by: His family
Architect: Mimar Sinan
Prominent Features:
- It is one of the two rectangular planned tombs designed by Mimar Sinan. The body with cut stone walls consists of a plain mass initially covered with a wooden roof.
- In the centre is the coffin of Güzel Ahmet Paşa, with 16 other marble coffins next to it, including that of his wife Ayşe Sultan.
- The tomb sits on the wall of the primary school; together with the madrasah and bathhouse, it completes the building complex.
- It reflects Mimar Sinan’s search for a “rectangular planned – wooden roofed” tomb; it is an original grand vizier tomb that completes the Mihrimah Sultan Complex.
