With more than 3,000 mosques in Istanbul, it is hard to pick a few interesting ones ; obviously every tourist has seen Hagia Sophia, Blue and Suleiman mosques. But Rustem Pasha is another Mimar Sinan gem. And on top of his elegant architecture, you get the best collection of Iznik tiles ; no other mosque makes such a lavish use of İznik tiles ! And all of this beauty without the throngs of selfie-taking tourists.

Not crowded in this smaller mosque. There is a beautiful “Tree of Life” panel on the exterior. Inside admire the genuine Iznik tiles, pinnacle of skill craftsmanship, closeup at your leisure. As this is a religious site, no shoes, hair covering for women and no loud noises are expected.

This has by reputation, the best Iznik tiles of all the mosques I visited in Istanbul. This seemed correct of the ones I visited, but by no means have I seen them all! It’s beautiful inside and is one of the Istanbul sites you shouldn’t miss. Location is fairly easy to find as it’s fairly close to the Spice Market.

The Rüstem Pasha Mosque is probably not on the itinerary of the typical tourist visiting Istanbul. In fact, many tourists probably haven’t even heard of this mosque. That’s good for me, as I had the entire mosque to myself; it’s bad for others as they are missing something truly unique! This little mosque, another of Mimar Sinan’s architectural wonders, dates back to about 1563. It differs from other mosques designed by Sinan in that there’s a definite emphasis on internal decoration rather than on just structure. It features about 2,300 dazzling blue Iznik tiles. Very easy to find, as it’s only about a 5-minute walk from the Spice Bazaar. In fact, its minaret can be seen from the square just in front of the Spice Bazaar. Just a reminder: best to check the Internet for prayer times before visiting any mosque in Istanbul.

This requires just a 10 mins visit inside of this small mosque and it’s so worth it. Beautiful detail and elaborate architecture and design. Very unusual and picturesque. One of the more peaceful spiritual spaces I’ve seen.

My favorite mosque, which was a total surprise. It is small and just bursting with beautiful Iznik tiles and gorgeous architectural details. We were practically the only people there, maybe 2-3 other tourists, so the vibe was very personal. The entrance is a little tricky, because it is not obviously marked, but more than one person pointed us in the right direction (without even being asked, they just knew what we were looking for)! There is a covered market all around it, which I actually liked much better than the Grand Bazaar. You don't need a lot of time inside, 30 minutes at the most, but this mosque punches way above its weight. It is really like a hidden gem.