Defterdar Mosque

Istanbul Province, Turkey

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Find out more

ReferenceKulturenvanteri↗

Located in Eyüp, Istanbul, the Defterdar Mosque is a 16th-century Ottoman structure built in 1542 by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan for defterdar (chief finance secretary) Nazlı Mahmut Efendi. Unlike typical mosques crowned with crescents, this edifice is distinguished by an "ink pot and pen" finial atop its dome—a symbolic reference to the founder's administrative profession. The original ornaments were destroyed in a 1997 storm and replaced with newly crafted versions in 2007.