SEHZADE MOSQUE (SEHZADE CAMII VE KÜLLIYESI)

Built between 1543 and 1548, the most important buildings in this complex are the mosque, considered Sinan's first masterpiece and the Prince's mausoleum. Sinan himself calls it a "learning work" when his reputation is well established. It is dedicated to Mehmed and his brother, Cihangir, who died in 1549. This work will allow Ottoman architecture to adopt a new conception of the placement of the central space, which will later become a school. Dominating all the other buildings in the complex in height and mass, the Prince's Mosque is built around a central square space. Sinan used new elements in the mosque's exterior architecture: a cascade of domes collapses into perfect symmetry and balance. A feeling of weightlessness emerges from the whole. The central dome, combined with the half-domes, reinforces this impression. This mosque earned Sinan his title of Master Architect. With this construction, he laid the foundations of Ottoman religious architecture.

The courtyard, located to the north, and whose surface area corresponds exactly to the space of the prayer room. It is covered by 16 domes. A fountain of ablutions, surmounted by a dome, was erected in its middle during the time of Murad IV. The Prince's mausoleum, with its architecture, ceramic tiles, stucco windows covered with stained glass, is an imposing building. This tomb was built of limestone, marble, green and pink porphyry. The ceramic tiles that cover the entire mausoleum, from the ground to the top of the dome, are sparkling in colour. The wooden cage, surrounding Prince Mehmed's catafalque, is supported by four ivory-inlaid pillars with geometric motifs.

The mausoleum of Rüstem Paşa, was built in 1561 by Sinan. The ceramic tiles consist of calligraphy in thuluth script reproducing verses from the Koran. The mausoleums of Ibrahim Paşa of Bosnia, Prince Mahmud, Sultans Hatice and Fatma, Destari Mustafa Paşa, as well as other tombstones are located in the outer courtyard. The medersa consists of bedrooms and a classroom arranged around a courtyard. The hospice is topped by a dome. The caravanserai stands on the road leading to the current Vefa High School. The elementary school is a space with a single dome, arranged on the side of the caravanserai.