Rüstem Pasha (; ; 1505 – 10 July 1561) was an
Ottoman statesman who served as
Grand Vizier
Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...
to Sultan
Süleyman the Magnificent
Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the Ottoman sultan between 1520 and his death in 1566. Under his adminis ...
. Rüstem Pasha is also known as Damat Rüstem Pasha (the epithet ''
damat
Damat (, from {{langx, fa, {{nq, داماد (dâmâd) "bridegroom") was an official Ottoman title describing men that entered the imperial House of Osman by means of marriage, literally becoming the bridegroom to the Ottoman sultan and the dyn ...
'' meaning 'son-in-law') as a result of his marriage to the sultan's daughter,
Mihrimah Sultan, in 1539. He is regarded as one of the most influential and successful grand viziers of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
.
Rustem Pasha was taken as a child to
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
(modern-day
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
), where he built a military and bureaucratic career under the protection of
Hürrem Sultan, Süleyman's favorite and legal wife and Mihrimah's mother. His brother
Sinan Pasha
Koca Sinan Pasha (, "Sinan the Great", ; c. 1506 – 3 April 1596) was an Albanian-born Ottoman Grand Vizier, military figure, and statesman. From 1580 until his death he served five times as Grand Vizier.
Early life
Sinan Pasha, also known ...
was an Ottoman grand admiral.
Early life
Rustem is referred to as a Bosnian by Tayib Osman-zade Ahmed, author of ''Hadikatul vuzara'' and the Turkish encyclopedia ''Kamus-ul-alam''.
He is also referred to as a Bosnian by the Turkish historiographer
Mustafa Âlî. However, other sources suggest different Croatian, Bosnian or Serbian birthplaces.
In a diplomatic contact with
Antun Vrančić he called his maternal language as Croatian indicating his Croat origin.
Wherever he was born, Rustem Pasha was a man of very humble origins. He was forcibly recruited through the
Devşirme
Devshirme (, usually translated as "child levy" or "blood tax", , .) was the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman practice of Conscription, forcibly recruiting soldiers and bureaucrats from among the children of their Balkan Christian subjects and raising th ...
system from Christian parents in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
and brought to Constantinople as a child. There he studied in the
Enderun, an institute for the education/indoctrination of talented boys. By the time they graduated, the boys were able to speak, read and write at least three languages, were able to understand the latest developments in
science
Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
and
finance
Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
and were able to excel in military leadership as well as in
close combat
Close-quarters battle (CQB), also called close-quarters combat (CQC), is a close combat situation between multiple combatants involving ranged (typically firearm-based) or melee combat. It can occur between military units, law enforcement and cr ...
skills.
An extremely ambitious man, Rüstem owed the success of his career to the support of
Hurrem Sultan
Hürrem Sultan (; , "''the joyful one''"; 1505– 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana (), was the chief consort, the first Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and the mother ...
, the wife of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. In 1526, he took part in the
Battle of Mohacs as a
silahdar
The Silahdar Agha was a palace office of the Ottoman Empire, denoting the principal page of the Ottoman Sultan. As such its holders were persons of great influence, and provided many senior officials and even Grand Viziers.
The title derives fro ...
(a weapon bearer in an elite cavalry division of the
Ottoman army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922.
Army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...
). A few years later he advanced to
mirahur-i evvel ''ağa'' (chief supervisor of the sultan's stables) and then
rikab-dar
A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a ''stirrup leather''. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal ( ...
(the
stirrup holder
A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a ''stirrup leather''. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal ( ...
when the sultan mounted his horse). The
mirahur accompanied the Sultan during his travels, so the Süleyman knew Rüstem for a long time before he appointed him – possibly inspired by Hürrem – to be a tutor to his sons. In making this decision, he was surely influenced by Rüstem's character. Most historical sources describe Rüstem as a calm and reasonable man with a keen intellect, who always kept a cool head, and who was devoted to his ruler.
Political career
Rüstem Pasha was a
sanjak bey who was promoted to become Beylerbey of
Diyarbakir. By the time he married
Mihrimah Sultan, he was already a vizier.
Süleyman the Magnificent
Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the Ottoman sultan between 1520 and his death in 1566. Under his adminis ...
appointed him grand vizier for the first time in 1544 but in 1553 he was dismissed, only to recover the position in 1555 and hold on to it until his death in 1561.
As a diplomat, Rüstem initiated many trade agreements with European countries and India. His biggest success was the agreement, signed in 1547, with King
Ferdinand I and the Emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
Kings and Emperors
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
Others
* Charles V, Duke ...
, which confirmed, without firing a shot, the western border of the Ottoman Empire for more than fourteen years. Ferdinand renounced his claim to the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
and agreed to pay a tax of 30,000 gold ducats a year to the Ottoman treasury. The Emperor's ambassador Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq wrote that Charles tried to revise the unfavourable agreement, several times but that Rüstem always resisted. Rüstem also worked on the agreement with the
Safavids
The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
, which, in 1544, ended the long-standing Ottoman-Safavid wars, and secured the eastern borders of the Ottoman Empire.
In 1536 Süleyman had his grand vizier
Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha
Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha ( 149515 March 1536), was the first Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire appointed by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Ibrahim, born as Orthodox Christian, was enslaved during his youth. He and Suleiman became close frie ...
executed for complicated reasons (for example, he used a seal saying 'Sultan Ibrahim' and retained most of the confiscated property of Süleyman's 'minister of finance'
İskender Çelebi
İskender Çelebi (; died March 1535) was a long-serving '' defterdar'' (finance secretary) of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Possibly the most notable events which befell him took place during the war of 1532–3 ...
, whose execution he ordered, etc.). Ibrahim was replaced with
Ayas Mehmed Pasha, followed in turn by
Lütfi Pasha and
Hadım Suleiman Pasha. Rüstem Pasha became Grand Vizier eight years after Ibrahim's death.
The death of Şehzade Mustafa
Later Hurrem and Rüstem conspired against the ambitious crown prince
Şehzade Mustafa
Şehzade Mustafa (; – 6 October 1553) was an Ottoman prince, son of sultan Suleiman I and his concubine Mahidevran Hatun. He was Suleiman's oldest survived son, the governor of Manisa from 1533 to 1541 and of Amasya from 1541 to 1553, whe ...
, the son of Süleyman by
Mahidevran Hatun, in favour of
Şehzade Mehmed
Şehzade Mehmed (; 1521 – 7 November 1543) was an Ottoman prince, son of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxelana, Hürrem Sultan. He served as governor of Manisa.
Early life
Şehzade Mehmed was born in 1521 in the Old Palace, d ...
, his son by Hürrem. Mustafa made the mistake of frequently receiving foreign ambassadors and Ottoman commanders without his father's knowledge, and was regarded by them as an important ally against Süleyman. The Austrian ambassador
Ghiselin de Busbecq (visiting Mustafa before Süleyman), informed his ruler: "Mustafa will be an excellent sultan, receptive and open to talks." And the Papal ambassador Navagero said: "Mustafa lives with his mother. She says that people adore him." Understanding the danger of the situation, Süleyman remembered how his father
Selim I
Selim I (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...
had dethroned his grandfather
Bayezid II
Bayezid II (; ; 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid consolidated the Ottoman Empire, thwarted a pro-Safavid dynasty, Safavid rebellion and finally abdicated his throne ...
(who was killed only a month after his abdication in 1512). Officers loyal to the sultan warned him that a part of the army was getting ready to put Mustafa on the throne. In 1552, while preparing a campaign against Persia, Süleyman appointed Rüstem
Serasker (commander-in-chief) of the campaign. But soldiers assembled in the military camp in
Karaman
Karaman is a city in south central Turkey, located in Central Anatolia, north of the Taurus Mountains, about south of Konya. It is the seat of Karaman Province and Karaman District.[Ottoman fleet
The Ottoman Navy () or the Imperial Navy (), also known as the Ottoman Fleet, was the naval warfare arm of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Ottomans first reached the sea in 1323 by capturing Praenetos (later called Karamürsel ...]
during the Tripolis siege Rüstem's brother
Sinan Pasha
Koca Sinan Pasha (, "Sinan the Great", ; c. 1506 – 3 April 1596) was an Albanian-born Ottoman Grand Vizier, military figure, and statesman. From 1580 until his death he served five times as Grand Vizier.
Early life
Sinan Pasha, also known ...
faced much the same problem although he still won many victories before his death in 1553).
The intrigue continued. Mustafa's often-cited correspondence with the
Safavid
The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
s signed 'Sultan Mustafa' (and kept today in the archives) may or may not have been relevant. It might have been authentic; it might have been a Safavid or a Hürrem-Rüstem deception, or it might have been Süleyman's attempt to calm down public opinion after Mustafa's death. Various reports describe Mustafa's death in the
Ereğli valley. According to one, Rüstem Pasha asked Mustafa to join his father's army and at the same time warned Süleyman that Mustafa was coming to kill him. According to another, it was Süleyman himself who summoned his son to Ereğli, and Mustafa came, "confident that the army would protect him".
Only Rüstem appears as the antagonist in all the versions. Even the report of the Austrian ambassador de Busbecq, who claims to have received an account from an eyewitness, had the same origin. Suspended and banished, Rüstem was fair game for taking the blame. No one dared to criticize the Sultan himself. Probably realizing this, Süleyman recalled Rüstem to his post two years later.
Rüstem's scapegoating as the seemingly dominant figure in the 'conspiracy against Mustafa' radically changed public opinion. And so the Rüstem, who had been extolled as the 'pillar of the Ottoman Empire,' as a brilliant economist and a sophisticated statesman, was forgotten along with all his great projects and charitable foundations. Instead he became reviled as Rüstem the 'black heart, the murderer of the loved Prince Mustafa.'. Rumors spread about his 'dirty' origin and about possible bribe-taking, and he was slurred as 'the louse of fortune.'. Some foreign ambassadors, like
Ghiselin de Busbecq or
Bernardo Navagero, repeated these slurs in their reports. However, Jean Chesneau, the secretary of the French ambassador, still wrote, 'The grand vizier is a man of humble origin who, thanks to his talent and will, worked his way up from nothing. He is an agreeable companion, engaging your interest with his acute faculty of judgment, an insightful way of thinking, and magnanimous manners. During the negotiations, he is calm and dispassionate, although in his views determined.'
Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey's elegy, the reports of ambassadors, administrative dossiers, foundation charters and some private documents like Hurrem's and Mihrimah's plea to Süleyman when Rüstem was expelled to
Üsküdar
Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...
, are the only contemporary sources reporting on Rüstem's life. They were also the basis of the oft-cited İbrāhīm Peçevī's work 'Tārīḫ-i Peçevī', published eighty years after Rüstem's death.
Marriage
Mihrimah Sultan was married to Rüstem, the governor of
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...
, in 1539. By then Rüstem was already a wealthy man and had, since 1538, a splendid career as Governor of Anatolia, one of the two most important administrative regions in the Ottoman Empire, and a post seen as a stepping-stone on the way to becoming Grand Vizier. Mihrimah already knew Rüstem for as the mentor of her brothers and the adviser of her father. After their marriage, he was nominated to the vizierate in November 1544.
Rüstem supported Mihrimah's charitable foundations including the Mihrimah Sultan İskele Camii (
Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in Üsküdar where her brother-in-law
Sinan Pasha
Koca Sinan Pasha (, "Sinan the Great", ; c. 1506 – 3 April 1596) was an Albanian-born Ottoman Grand Vizier, military figure, and statesman. From 1580 until his death he served five times as Grand Vizier.
Early life
Sinan Pasha, also known ...
was buried in 1553). He was also Mihrimah's ally, particularly concerning political and financial decisions. His will offers evidence of his confidence in his wife. Rüstem and Mihrimah had a daughter,
Ayşe Hümaşah Sultan
Ayşe Hümaşah SultanPeirce, L. (2018). ''Empress of the East: How a Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire''. Regno Unito: Icon Books. ( and 'Şah's phoenix'; 1541 – 1598/1604) was an Ottoman princess, the only daughter of Mihrimah Su ...
(1541–1598), firstly married in 1557 to
Semiz Ahmed Pasha, and at least one son, Sultanzade Osman Bey (1546–1576, buried in his father's
türbe
''Türbe'' refers to a Muslim mausoleum, tomb or grave often in the Turkish-speaking areas and for the mausolea of Ottoman sultans, nobles and notables. A typical türbe is located in the grounds of a mosque or complex, often endowed by the ...
, in the
Şehzade Mosque
The Şehzade Mosque () is a 16th-century Ottoman imperial mosque located in the district of Fatih, on the third hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent as a memorial to his son Şehzade Mehmed who died in 1543 ...
).
Wealth and legacy

As Grand Vizier, Rüstem amassed vast wealth and he was the first Grand Vizier in the history of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
who contributed to the development of the state from his own funds. According to most contemporary testimonies (excluding Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey's ''
Şehzade Mustafa
Şehzade Mustafa (; – 6 October 1553) was an Ottoman prince, son of sultan Suleiman I and his concubine Mahidevran Hatun. He was Suleiman's oldest survived son, the governor of Manisa from 1533 to 1541 and of Amasya from 1541 to 1553, whe ...
'' ''Mersiyesi''), he was one of the few state dignitaries who didn't take bribes. He was very wealthy even before his marriage to
Mihrimah Sultan. In his will (a part of an endowment charter from 1561), Rüstem left a complete inventory of his property in the hope of securing his great foundation projects after his death. His testament determined exactly which part of his property belonged to the state, to his foundations, to
Hurrem Sultan
Hürrem Sultan (; , "''the joyful one''"; 1505– 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana (), was the chief consort, the first Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and the mother ...
's foundation and to Mihrimah's foundations, as well as what he left to his wife Mihrimah and to their daughter
Ayşe Hümaşah Sultan
Ayşe Hümaşah SultanPeirce, L. (2018). ''Empress of the East: How a Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire''. Regno Unito: Icon Books. ( and 'Şah's phoenix'; 1541 – 1598/1604) was an Ottoman princess, the only daughter of Mihrimah Su ...
. In an act of faith in her abilities, he nominated his wife Mihrimah Sultan as executor of his will and his daughter as the executor and administrator of his foundations.
Most historians emphasise how hard
Rüstem worked to consolidate and improve the troubled economy of the Ottoman Empire which had been impoverished by excessive spending on wars and the lavish lifestyle of the court. Contemporary documents say that he also financed this upswing from his own resources. Toll-free bridges, roads, covered bazaars, granaries, baths, hospices, caravanserais, convents, schools and various other establishments were built on his lands for the public benefit. Their funding was largely secured by the leasing of Rüstem's estates. He supported agriculture, founded new trading centres, like the bazaar in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, and established silk factories in
Bursa
Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...
and
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, and assorted social and educational institutions. He developed the domestic economy by encouraging major public works projects such as water distribution systems in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
,
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
.
He also found enough money to finance the building of the
Süleymaniye Mosque
The Süleymaniye Mosque (, ) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Seven hills of Istanbul, Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent () and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An ...
(1550–57) as well as other monumental architectural projects designed by the architect
Mimar Sinan
Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...
. To reduce protectionism in the state administration, an official instalment fee was introduced, and confiscated when an official abused his authority. However, his reform of the military remained unfinished. At the time of his death in Constantinople on 10 July 1561, his personal property included 815 plots of land in
Rumelia
Rumelia (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and Vassal state, vassals in E ...
and
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, 476 mills, 1700 slaves, 2,900 war horses, 1,106 camels, 800 gold embroidery Holy Qur'ans, 500 books, 5000
caftan
A kaftan or caftan (; , ; , ; ) is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, ''kaftan'' instead refers to a style of men's long suit ...
s, 130 pieces of armours, 860 gold embroidered swords, 1500 silver tolga (helmets), 1000 silver balls, 33 precious jewels etc.
Death
Rüstem Pasha died of
hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, which can cause pressure to increase in the skull. Symptoms may vary according to age. Headaches and double vision are common. Elderly adults with n ...
on 10 July 1561. He was buried in the
Sehzade Mosque (which was dedicated to Süleyman and Hürrem's son,
Şehzade Mehmed
Şehzade Mehmed (; 1521 – 7 November 1543) was an Ottoman prince, son of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxelana, Hürrem Sultan. He served as governor of Manisa.
Early life
Şehzade Mehmed was born in 1521 in the Old Palace, d ...
) because his dream project, the
Rüstem Pasha Mosque
The Rüstem Pasha Mosque () is an Ottoman mosque located in the Hasırcılar Çarşısı (Strawmat Weavers Market) in the Tahtakale neighborhood of the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey, near the Spice Bazaar. Named after Rüstem Pasha, who ...
, had not yet been built. His tomb sits alongside that of Şehzade Mehmed.
Rüstem Pasha Mosque
After her husband's death, Mihrimah completed his work including the construction of the eponymous
Rüstem Pasha Mosque
The Rüstem Pasha Mosque () is an Ottoman mosque located in the Hasırcılar Çarşısı (Strawmat Weavers Market) in the Tahtakale neighborhood of the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey, near the Spice Bazaar. Named after Rüstem Pasha, who ...
(
Turkish: ''Rüstem Paşa Camii)'' which can be found in the Hasırcılar Çarşısı (Strawmat Weavers Market) in Tahtakale in the Fatih district of Istanbul. It was designed by the Ottoman imperial architect
Mimar Sinan
Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...
and built between 1561 and 1563. With its tiled interior and exterior, it is widely regarded as one of Sinan's most beautiful mosques.
Other buildings in Istanbul that bear the grand vizier's name are the Rüstem Paşa Medresesi (1550, another work of
Mimar Sinan
Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...
) in
Çağaloğlu, and the Rüstem Paşa Han (1544–1550, also by
Mimar Sinan
Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...
) in
Karaköy
Karaköy (), the modern name for the old Galata, is a commercial quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus.
Karaköy is one of the oldest and mo ...
.
Popular culture
In the acclaimed Turkish television series ''
Muhteşem Yüzyıl
''Muhteşem Yüzyıl'' (, ) is a Turkish historical drama series. Written by Meral Okay and Yılmaz Şahin, it is based on the life of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and his wife Hür ...
(The Magnificent Century)'', Rüstem Pasha is portrayed by actor
Ozan Güven.
See also
*
List of Ottoman grand viziers
The grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire ( or ''Sadr-ı Azam'' (''Sadrazam''); Ottoman Turkish language, Ottoman Turkish: or ) was the ''de facto'' prime minister of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, sultan in the Ottoman Empire, with the absolute p ...
*
Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai, Erzurum
*
Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai (Edirne), Edirne
*
Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai (Ereğli), Ereğli, Konya
*
Rüstem Pasha Medrese, Fatih, Istanbul
*
Rüstem Pasha Medrese (Kütahya)
*
Rustem Pasha Mosque
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rustem
1500s births
1561 deaths
Croatian Muslims
Government of the Ottoman Empire
Pashas
Military personnel of the Ottoman Empire
16th-century grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire
Devshirme
Suleiman the Magnificent
Grand viziers of Suleiman the Magnificent
Converts to Sunni Islam from Roman Catholicism
Damats
People from the Ottoman Empire of Croatian descent
16th-century slaves in the Ottoman Empire