Sultan Selim Complex

The complex is located in the Sultan Selim neighbourhood of Fatih. This was one of the least accesible areas of the city with the Kırk Merdiven cliffs on one side and a deep cistern on the other. The complex is set on a hilltop and was built on the ruins of a Byzantine palace in 1519-1522 at the order of Sultan Süleyman, the Magnificent in memory of his father Yavuz Sultan Selim. The architect is unknown.

The complex is located in an outer courtyard which rings the complex. The area designated for late-arriving worshippers is encircled by 18 columns and 22 domes. The 20 windows around the courtyard are covered with glazed tile panels, which are among the finest examples of the period. The portico of the courtyard is decorated with floral designs. A reservoir for ablutions is found in the centre of the courtyard. It is domed with eight marble pillars. There are two minarets with a single gallery each, and rooms on both sides of the mosque for the imam and müezzin. The shutters of the door are fine examples of engraving and mother-of-pearl relief. The mosque is square in shape and extremely simple in design. The pulpit is made of ornamented marble.

The enclosed cemetery on the kiblah, or Mecca, side of the mosque contains of the remains of Yavuz Sultan Selim, the heirs of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent who died at a young age, his daughters and three tombs belonging to Sultan Abdülmecid. Of these, the window shutters, door, and wooden banister of the mausoleum belonging to Yavuz Sultan Selim are masterpieces in mother-of-pearl relief. Other than the mosque and mausoleum, the only structure which has survived to the present is the primary school, located in the outer courtyard.