İshak Pasha Mosque, Istanbul

جامع إسحاق باشا، إسطنبول

Built 1486 by İshak Pasha, vezir of Fatih and grand vezir of Beyazit II, just outside Topkapı's walls; a simple domed square whose once-grand double hamam across the street is partly ruined.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Gunpowder Empires
Region
Anatolia
Review
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Architecture

Summary

"İshak Pasha Camii stands just outside the outer defence walls of Topkapı Sarayı, a short way down toward the Marmara from the Imperial Gate. Mosque and the large hamam across the street were built in 1486 by İshak Pasha, vezir under Fatih and grand vezir under Beyazit II, of whom his contemporary Kritovoulos wrote that he was 'a man of the wisest sort, experienced in many spheres, but especially a military leader and a man of courage'." 1

'The mosque is of the simplest plan — a square room under a dome — and has lost its porch, originally of the curious two-dome-three-column type of which Kazancılar Camii is the best preserved example, with the door shifted to one side. The hamam, enormously larger than the mosque, must once have been very grand though it lacked a proper soğukluk and its hararet is curiously truncated; long disaffected, it is now partially in ruins.' 2

People and things also explored

Abu Dulaf Mosque, Samarra· Great Mosque of Adana· Ahi Çelebi Mosque, Istanbul· al-Aqmar Mosque, Cairo· al-Attarine Madrasa, Fez· Great Mosque of Samarra· al-Janad Mosque, Ta'izz· al-Mansur Mosque (Kasbah Mosque), Marrakesh

Sources

  1. John Freely, A History of Ottoman Architecture (2011) , p.212-213
  2. John Freely, A History of Ottoman Architecture (2011) , p.213-214
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “İshak Pasha Mosque, Istanbul”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/building/ishak-pasha-mosque-topkapi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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