The Mimar Sinan Mescidi was described in my somewhat older “Strolling through Istanbul” guidebook as “an extra-ordinary sight, a very handsome minaret standing by itself in the middle of a vacant lot. This is all that remains of Mimar Sinan Camii, the little mosque which Sinan endowed and built himself in 1573. “ The mosque seems to have been in ruins at the start of the 20th century and since disappeared. “The minaret is of a very rare type, perhaps the only one of this kind that Sinan ever built. It is octagonal and without a balcony; instead at the top, a decorated window in each of the eight faces allows the muezzin to call to prayer. “

It seems the minaret has been joined by a reincarnation of the former mosque or some other construction for it now is no longer alone. Rather, a small park nearby brings lots of life to the “empty” lot.