Mosque

Sokullu Mehmet Paşa Mosque (Azapkapı)

The mosque was damaged in a fire in 1807 and its minaret was partially destroyed. The minaret was rebuilt starting from the pulpit section.
The mosque, which remained in ruins for a long time, was built between 1938-1941. It was reopened for worship after undergoing extensive restoration. During this process, its broken inscription was rewritten in accordance with its original by calligrapher Kamil Akdik.
The balcony of the minaret was rebuilt in 1955.
The mosque was taken under restoration work in 2011 and the work was completed in 2012.

The mosque is one of Mimar Sinan’s post-classical works and is a smaller-scale adaptation of the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne.
The mosque, which has a rectangular plan close to a square, is covered with a central dome resting on eight pillars and four semi-domes surrounding it.
Contrary to the custom, its single minaret was built separately from the building, on the left side of the mosque. This arrangement was preferred due to the mosque’s location close to the sea.
The mosque was built in an elevated manner due to the sloping land on which it is located; vaulted cellars and shops were built underneath.
The interior has tile decorations and hand-carved works. The section in front of the mihrab is projected outwards and covered with a half dome.