Rüstem Pasha
Sultan Suleiman I authorized the project after the Grand Vizier’s passing. It was assigned to the Ottoman’s chief architect, Mimar Sinan. Sinan designed a number of great mosques during his decades-long career, including the Süleymaniye Mosque and the Selimiye Mosque. However, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque was unique among Sinan’s mosques, which seldom featured interiors decorated as much as this one. The tiling also makes it stand out from other mosques in the region. The reason for this difference has not been conclusively determined, though Rüstem Pasha may have ordered the mosque’s characteristic İznik tiles in order to support court designer Kara Memi, who was known for elegant floral designs.