Cerrah Pasha Mosque

Cerrah Mehmed Pasha Mosque, a historic mosque located in Aksaray Neighborhood, Fatih District, Istanbul Province. It was commissioned in 1594 by Cerrah Mehmed Pasha. Its architect is Mimar Davud Ağa.

Cerrahpaşa Mosque is a complex built on one of Istanbul's seven hills. Over time, some buildings have disappeared, leaving only the mosque and its annexes to the present day.

Architecture

The interior space is 624 m², and together with the courtyard and garden area the total is 3360 m². It was built with a single minaret in the classical Ottoman architectural style.

The mosque, which has a square plan, features a large dome resting on six elephant‑foot supports, with two half‑domes to the south and north. The mihrab area has a near‑quadrilateral plan and projects outward. Windows in the four half‑domes surrounding the main dome allow light to enter the interior. The mosque interior has three entrances: one on each side, one on the main façade, and one centrally through the crowned gate. The entrance façade is muqarnas‑decorated and entirely marble. On the right and left there are two slender engaged columns that lead to hourglasses, each flanked by a marble niche. Inside the mosque there is an upper gallery extending along the sides and parallel to the entrance façade. Within the mosque there is a wooden pulpit, a carved marble lectern, and a richly embroidered crown mihrab (plaster‑covered marble). The word “kelime‑i tevhid” is inscribed on the mihrab. The dome is covered with lead, and its interior is entirely decorated with pen‑work. The decorations extend up to the upper part of the gallery windows. The decorations were made in recent times. In 1820 the minaret was struck by lightning. In that year the mosque’s minaret was rebuilt and its cap was constructed of stone. The cap is still stone. The mosque’s minaret and dome are original.

In 1892, 1958, 1960 and finally in 1979 the mosque was repaired and in the last repair the domes and arches of the formerly ruined last prayer hall were completely rebuilt. In the last prayer hall the mosque has two mihrabs, eight porphyry and granite columns and above them six small domes. In the mosque’s mihrab there is a very valuable original İznik tile in green colour. On the mihrab façade, below, there is a row of spotted blue/white coloured İznik bordure tiles. On the same façade of the mosque the upper round windows are stained glass and original. The lower stained‑glass windows are new. They were replaced in 1979. The mosque is entered through four doors, one of which was added later, the other three being original. Important persons’ graves are located on the right and left sides of the mosque.