| Sokollu Mosque |
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 Built by the architect Sinan in 1571-2, this mosque was commissioned by Sokollu Mehmet Paşa, grand vizier to Selim II . The simplicity of Sinan's design solution for the mosque's sloping site has been widely admired. A steep entrance stairway leads up to the mosque courtyard from the street, passing beneath the teaching hall of its medrese , which still functions as a college. Only the tiled lunettes above the windows in the portico give a hint of the jewelled mosque interior to come. Inside, the far wall around the carved mihrab is entirely covered in İznik tiles of a sumptuous green-blue hue. This tile panel, designed specifically for the space, is complemented by six stained-glass windows. The ''hat" of the minbar is covered with the same tiles. Most of the mosque's other walls are of plain stone, but they are enlivened by a few more tile panels. Set into the wall over the entrance there is a small piece of greenish stone which is supposedly from the Kaaba, the holy stone at the centre of Mecca. (s1)
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Sokullu Mosque (Kardirga Sokulu Camii)—This 16th-century mosque, a few hundred yards from the Hippodrome, is more down-to-earth than the big showpiece mosques around Sultanahmet, but contains some notable decorations. The famous royal architect Sinan built the Sokullu Mosque for Grand Vizier Sokullu. The mosque, a fine example of Sinan's mature work, is decorated with İznik tiles even older than those used in the Blue Mosque. But what makes the Sokullu Mosque unique are several gold-framed fragments of the Black Stone of Kaaba—priceless relics for Muslims, who believe that this stone descended from the heavens to show the Prophet Abraham where to build a temple. One piece is displayed above the mosque's main door, another is directly above the mihrab (prayer niche in the apse), and another is on the entrance to the mimber (pulpit-like staircase).