The Şehzade Mosque (Prince's Mosque) was built between 1544 an 1548 by the great architect Sinan, after the mourning Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent ordered him to design a mosque in memory to his beloved son, prince Mehmet, who he had intended to take over his throne, but who died at the age of 22 in 1543. Sinan was the court architect since 1539 and the Şehzade is the first major work in Istanbul.

It is a bit off the beaten track and as a result you will see almost no tourists here (it is not too far from the Valens Aqueduct, or the Municipal building). The gardens are big and full of cats, to me always a pleasure. I took a few pictures from an area in the back of the gardens, where some poor dwellings house happy people. If you go into that direction you’ll get to the oldest Lycee in the country, of which I will show some pictures elsewhere.