Rustem Pasha Mosque

The Rustem Pasha Mosque sits above a row of street-level shops, its entrance reached by a narrow stone staircase tucked away from the main road. Designed by Mimar Sinan in fifteen sixty-three, its interior walls are almost entirely covered in Iznik tiles featuring vibrant tulip and carnation patterns. Rustem Pasha, a grand vizier known for his immense wealth and thriftiness, commissioned the mosque. The tiles hide the structure's brickwork, turning the prayer hall into a quiet, floral sanctuary above the busy market.