According to the folklore Kýlýç Ali Paþa asked Sultan Murat III to give him land to build a mosque. The Sultan replied because Kýlýç Ali Paþa was such a great admiral he should build a mosque in the sea. That explains why the sea shore was filled up and the complex was built in that position. The mosque is surrounded by a large courtyard and the assembly area is covered by a sloping roof, with ornate carvings on the three doors of the inner garden. There are Quranic verses painted on the ceramic panels over the windows.
In the garden is a fountain with eight marble columns and a covering dome. The mosque is based on a rectangular design and is an enlarged plan of the Haghia Sophia mosque. The top of the windows is adorned by the tiles and the largest dome is resting on four elephant leg shaped marble columns and is supported in the east and the west by two half domes. In each of the four corners a small dome is located and colored tiles with flower motifs decorate the mosque's interior. The largest dome has twenty four windows and including these the building has a total of 147 windows. In 1948, the 16th century ship's lantern which hung from the main dome was moved to the maritime Museum. On the right hand side a minaret rises with the balcony. The tomb of Kýlýç Ali Paþa is located in the garden facing east. By the garden wall facing the street is a fountain. The hamam on the right hand side of the mosque is still in use today. The school is located on the sea side of the hamam.
