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Stories from Istanbul-Rustem Pasha Mosque: the other blue mosque

  1. Rustem Pasha mosque- a hidden gem
  2. Where is Rustem Pasha mosque located
  3. RÜSTEM PASHA MOSQUE OPENING HOURS (2024)
  4. Entrance fee
  5. 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.

Dome of Rustem Pasha Mosque
Mihrab of Rustem Pasha mosque
Dome of Rustem Pasha Mosque
Elephant columns

Where is Rustem Pasha mosque located

Address:  Rüstem PaÅŸa, Hasırcılar Cd. No:62, 34116 Fatih/Ä°stanbul, 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

rustem pasha mosque
Entrance to the mosque
Outside courtyard

RÜSTEM PASHA MOSQUE 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

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Tales from Balkan: Inat Kuća, or “House of Spite”- Symbol of Bosnian stubbornness

Right opposite to the City hall in Sarajevo, across the bridge there is a unique Bosnian restaurant named Inat Kuća, or “House of Spite”. More than being just an oddly named restaurant, this place was once a house that belonged to a Bosnian man named Benderija. I decided to check out this place out of pure curiosity and sat outside the patio and drank Rakija and people watched.

Inside the house of Spite restaurant

The restaurant menu also talks about the history of the place and why it is called house of spite. As the story goes, the house was originally located across the river where the current city hall resides. In the late 19th century, Austria-Hungary was transforming Sarajevo into a model colony. As part of this makeover, they began constructing a magnificent city hall. However, an elderly Bosnian man Benderija stood in their way. Despite generous offers, he refused to let them demolish his house. After lengthy negotiations  between the old man and the city (with even the Austro-Hungarian Minister of Finances getting involved) until finally, in 1895, he agreed to sell his property for the extravagant price of a sackful of gold ducats, but with one condition: the authorities would have to move his Ottoman-era house, brick by brick, and rebuild it on the other side of the river.

According to our guide, the old man spent every day of the move sitting in the middle of a nearby bridge, smoking cigarettes and watching the workers transport each brick across the river. When the house was finally rebuilt, it was aptly named Inat Kuća, or the House of Spite. 

City hall from house of Spite

The food and drink were really good and views are definitely worth it to visit this place.