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The Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque is located in the Fatih district of Istanbul, near the Blue Mosque. He is famous for demonstrating, allegedly, the four ppieces of Hajjar al-Aswad.
The mosque was commissioned by its namesake Sokullu Mehmet Paza, who was the last great vizier and son-in-law of Suleiman the Magnificent. It was his military expertise that subsequently saved the Ottoman Empire from the worst consequences of Selim Sota’s dissolute rule.
FEED THE POOR
Feeding the poor and needy is an act that draws us closer to Allah. We earn His forgiveness, mercies and blessings through this act of charity.
“Anyone who looks after and works for a widow and a poor person is like a warrior fighting for Allah?s cause, or like a person who fasts during the day and prays all night. (Bukhari)
Built in 1571/72 CE, it was one of the later buildings designed by Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan.
Exterior
The mosque complex is built on a steep slope. Sinan bypassed this problem by making the part of the complex in front of the mosque a two-story high. The first level once contained small shops, while the upper level contained a madrasa and a courtyard still standing today.
The large courtyard of the mosque is surrounded on three sides by madressa rooms, which now houses the Quran school for boys. In the center of the courtyard there is a twelve-sided ablution fountain, topped with a bulbous dome. In the northeast corner of the mosque there is a single minaret.
Interior
The interior of the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque is distinguished by the height of the dome and the impressive depiction of Iznik tiles on the eastern wall. This is from the best period of Turkish ceramics; pure white, bright green and intense red. Calligraphic inscriptions against the jungle of huge carnations and tulips, and patterns and colors are repeated throughout the mosque and in the conical cap of the mimbar, whose tiles are unique in Istanbul.
While stained glass windows are replicas, some of the original, extremely delicate paintwork materials can be seen in the northwest corner under the gallery and above the entrance. The interior of more than 90 windows.
Embedded parts of Hajar al-Aswad
It is said that in different parts of the mosque there are four parts of Hajar al-Aswad. These are pieces of Black Stone attached to the Kaaba in Mecca, the most holy place in Islam.
Source: The rough guide to Istanbul, Wikipedia
