The Kiliç Ali Paşa mosque, by Sinan dating from 1580.

It is said that when Kılıç Ali Pasha decided to endow a mosque toward the end of his life, he applied to the state for a grant of land (since all land belonged to the state in the Ottoman Empire). He and Grand Vezier Rüstem Pasha shared a strong dislike for each other, so the Vezier reportedly said: "Since he is the admiral, let him build his mosque on the sea." Undeterred, Kılıç Ali Pasha had tons of rocks brought from all over the region and built the mosque on an artificial island connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. The mosque is now well inland, since the sea was filled during the construction of a modern port.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Türkiye Tarihi Yerler Kılavuzu’ – M.Orhan Bayrak, Inkılâp Kitabevi, Istanbul, 1994 & Wikipedia.