Bali Pasha Mosque

Bali Paşa Mosque is on Bali Paşa Street, Hoca Efendi Street in the Fatih district of Istanbul. It is from the Kesmeşta period and its minaret is classically on the right. The mosque, which was started by Malkoçoğlu Bali Paşa, vizier of Bayezid II, and not completed by him, was finished by his wife Hüma Sultan in 1504.

It is pendent on a square plan with a single dome. There is a final prayer hall with five domes supported by six columns. It is disputed whether it is the work of Mimar Sinan or Mimar Ali, however the Hüseyin Paşa Tomb just beyond the mosque is a structure by Mimar Sinan.

The qibla main entrance door of the mosque is on Hoca Efendi Street, with Battal Gazi Street on its left and Bali Paşa Street on its right. The square‑plan mosque occupies an area of 900 square metres, surrounded by outer walls. It was repaired and maintained in 2007 and opened for worship in February 2008. The construction date on the last prayer hall’s foundation reads 1494. The new‑lettered inscription on the right side of the entrance door states that the mosque was built by Hüma Hatun.

According to the principal books Tezkiretül Bünyan and Tezkiretül Mimarin, the architect of the mosque is Mimar Sinan. The original mosque was partially destroyed after three or four major earthquakes, was repaired in 1935 by Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi, and finally restored in 2007 when the Foundations were auctioned.

Inside the white stone brick outer walls there is a garden with trees running the full length on the entrance side and the right side. In front of this garden, on both the right and left of the entrance, stand eight large pines and this section is separated by a lower wall. The area on the right side is larger and its side is divided by a musalla stone to the place where funeral prayers are performed. On the left side, under an octagonal lead roof, eight wooden columns cover a marble fountain. Behind the fountain is a cistern, and in front are toilets. After the garden, the inner courtyard has municipal seating benches, and the floors are paved with cobblestones.

A shoe rack with eye shelves on both sides has been placed at the entrance of the last prayer area. The last prayer area, about 1 meter above the ground, on the left side at the mahfil entrance, is a foundation on white marble with white lettering. When entering through the entrance gate to the mosque's courtyard, a classic wide circular chandelier catches the eye. On the right and left, inwardly made piers form three sections each, and above them there is a wooden rail balcony of the mahfil. The dome and its surroundings are inscribed with verses and hadiths. On all four sides there is a large central window and two small round windows on its sides. Above the mihrab, whose pier is exposed outward, there are two large decorated windows. The minbar is near the mihrab. The windows have railings from the outside and inside, while the upper windows have woven fixed railings. A birdhouse has been built on the left side.

Some sources record that the tomb and gravestones of Bâlî Pasha and his wife Hümâ Hatun, which are said to be next to the mosque, do not exist today. However, a foundation remnant has been found immediately next to the left wall and it is possible that it is a piece of the tomb. In its precinct there are about ten graves dating to recent times. The stone fountain mentioned in the foundation is not present today.