The Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque (), also known as the Köprübaşı (Bridgehead) Mosque, is the ruin of a 16th-century Ottoman

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

located 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 ...

, Turkey. The ruin is situated in

Büyükçekmece Büyükçekmece, historically Athyras (Greek: Αθύρας) is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 173 km2, and its population is 277,181 (2022). It is on the Sea of Marmara coast of the European side, west o ...

which is now a district of Istanbul, but would have been in the countryside at the time the mosque was built. It was designed by 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 ...

(c. 1488/1490-1588) and built for the

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 ...

Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Sokollu Mehmed Pasha (; ; ; 1505 – 11 October 1579) was an Ottoman statesman of Serb origin most notable for being the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. Born in Ottoman Herzegovina into an Orthodox Christian family, Mehmed was recruited a ...

(in office 1565–1579) in 1567. It is one of the three mosques with the same name built by Mimar Sinan in Istanbul. Only the minaret, one gateway and a low wall remain of the mosque. The minaret is unusual in that it is 'monolithic', carved from a single piece of stone. The design is unique in Turkey, there being one similar minaret in Egypt. The mosque was constructed beside the east end of the Kanuni Sultan Suleiman Bridge.

References

Religious buildings and structures completed in 1567 Mimar Sinan buildings Ottoman mosques in Istanbul 1567 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Buildings and structures in Beyoğlu Mosques completed in the 1560s {{Turkey-mosque-stub