Şeyh Süleyman Mosque, Byzantine mosque in Fatih district, Istanbul, Turkey.
Şeyh Süleyman Mosque is a Byzantine structure with a square ground plan and a low octagonal dome supported by pendentives. The interior has four corner niches, and beneath it lies an underground burial chamber with eight additional niches.
The building was constructed between 1118 and 1124 under Byzantine Empress Irene Komnene. Following Constantinople's conquest in 1453, it was converted into a mosque.
The structure shows how Byzantine buildings became places of Islamic prayer after Constantinople fell in 1453. You can still see how Christian architecture was adapted to serve new religious purposes.
The building is located on Zeyrek Sokak in the Fatih district, about 120 meters southwest of Zeyrek Mosque. Keep in mind that this is an active place of worship, so visiting access may be limited during prayer times.
The exterior walls were built using two different materials: lower sections with ashlar stone and upper portions with brick. This two-part construction is an interesting example of different building phases or available materials during construction.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
