Piyale Paşa Tomb

Piyale Paşa was of Croatian origin and raised in the Ottoman palace school (Enderun) through the devshirme system. He became a renowned Ottoman admiral and statesman.
He served as Kapudan Pasha (Grand Admiral) between 1553 and 1567, leading naval campaigns alongside Turgut Reis to France, Tunisia, Majorca, and Djerba, and later participated in the conquest of Cyprus, earning great acclaim.
In 1568, he was promoted to vizier; he briefly held the position of third vizier, followed by second vizier.
In 1574, he was appointed Chief Gatekeeper (Kapıcıbaşı), and later the sanjak bey of Gallipoli. Due to his military and political success, he married Gevher Sultan, daughter of Sultan Selim II, thus becoming a royal son-in-law.
Piyale Paşa holds a prominent place in 16th-century Ottoman history for his naval victories and high-ranking roles within the state.

Construction Year: 1577/78

Ordered by: Piyale Paşa

Architect: Mimar Sinan

Prominent Features:

The tomb is constructed from finely cut küfeki stone in an octagonal prism form, topped with a shallow dome, and bears a simple, undecorated style both inside and out. Each façade has two windows, one above the other.
Originally, like the Tomb of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, it featured a surrounding wooden-roofed arcade with eight octagonal columns. In the 18th century, this was replaced by a new portico supported by acanthus-capital cylindrical columns, but today the structure has been restored without rebuilding the arcade.
The interior houses a total of 13 graves: three wooden sarcophagi and ten marble lahits (sarcophagi). These white marble lahits date to the late 16th century and are adorned with naturalistic floral reliefs and colorful painted decorations.
In the 1990s, misinformed rumors that the tomb belonged to a religious saint led to repainting of the doors and sarcophagi, causing some loss of original features.
The adjoining graveyard (hazire), enclosed by an elevated wall, contains tombstones notable for their ornate craftsmanship.