- Rustem Pasha mosque- a hidden gem
- Where is Rustem Pasha mosque located
- RÃœSTEM PASHA MOSQUEÂ OPENING HOURS (2024)
- Entrance fee
- Final thoughts
There are over 3000 mosques in Istanbul, the most famous being the Blue Mosque or the Sultanahmet Mosque. The blue mosque gets its name from the interior of the mosque that is lined with more than 20,000 blue colored, handmade ceramic tiles from Ä°znik, which are richly decorated with flowers, trees, and abstract patterns. Above the tiles the walls are painted with various motifs, also in a blue color. However, three are 2 other mosques in Istanbul that also have the blue interior and covered in Iznik tiles– Sokullu Mehmed Pasha Mosque, and Rustem Pasha mosque.
Rustem Pasha mosque- a hidden gem
Rüstem Pasha Mosque, a hidden gem and magnificent work of Mimar Sinan, nestled in the bustling market of Istanbul near Golden horn is a miniature version of the iconic Blue Mosque without the crowds. In fact, when we visited on a Thursday afternoon in June of 2024, there were only 3 other people in the mosque. We had visited blue mosque earlier that afternoon and it was buzzing with 100s of people.
The mosque was designed and built in 1561 by the renowned Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan for Grand Vizier and son-in-Law of Suleiman the magnificent- Rüstem Pasha. The mosque is built in a rectangular shape with semi domes around the main dome that are seated over four elephant feet and columns. Both inside and outside are made of white marble and interior of the mosque is one of the most embellished mosques with 7227 pieces of hand-made Iznik tiles containing 36 tulip motifs and 5 different colors. 850 of these tiles have calligraphy written on them.
Where is Rustem Pasha mosque located
Address: Rüstem Paşa, Hasırcılar Cd. No:62, 34116 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Rustem Pasha mosque can be challenging to locate but it is close to Spice Bazar and Yeni Camii mosque and located in the Hasırcılar Çarşısı (Strawmat Weavers Market) in the Tahtakale neighborhood of the Fatih district . From Yeni Cami, head toward the Spice Market, turning right up a small road at a large coffee shop. Further down this small street there are set of access stairs on Hasırcılar Caddesi and another on the small street that runs right (north) off Hasırcılar Caddesi towards the Golden Horn. At the top of the stairs, there’s a terrace and the mosque’s colonnaded porch
RÃœSTEM PASHA MOSQUEÂ OPENING HOURS (2024)
Rüstem Pasha Mosque is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, with closures during prayer times and religious holidays such as Ramadan.
Entrance fee
There is no fee to enter but it is an active mosque and please be mindful of prayer hours
Final thoughts
Rustem Pasha mosque is a magnificent masterpiece of Mimar Sinan and definitely worth a visit and you can appreciate the intricate design of the Iznik tiles without the crowds of the blue mosque
Peaks to Palaces 