Rüstem Pasa Camii (Rüstem Pasha Mosque)

Rüstem Pasa Camii (Rüstem Pasha Mosque) Review

Tucked away in the backstreets just west of the Egyptian Bazaar, this Sinan masterpiece was built in the early 1560s for Rüstem Pasha, a grand vizier and son-in-law of Süleyman the Magnificent. Though it's unassuming from the outside, this is one of the most highly ornamented of the Ottoman mosques, and you're in for a treat when you step into the interior, which is decorated throughout with Iznik tiles in a magnificent array of colors and patterns. The mosque—raised on a high terrace that's surrounded at street level by a warren of small shops—is reached via flights of interior stairs in the corners that lead up to a courtyard and portico, the facade of which is also lined with beautiful tiles.