Rüstem Pasha Mosque

Rüstem Pasha Mosque is what every İznik-tile enthusiast comes to Istanbul to see. It was built in 1561 by Mimar Sinan for Süleyman the Magnificent's Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha (Hürrem's son-in-law, also allegedly her lover, which is the kind of detail that gets Ottoman palaces written about in three languages).

The mosque itself is small and would be unremarkable without its tiles. There are roughly 5,700 hand-painted İznik tiles covering every interior wall, in deep coral red, sage green, and a particular tomato-red that doesn't appear in other Istanbul mosques. The pattern density is the giveaway — this is Sinan at his most decorative, less interested in stone and more interested in surface.

Access is a small gift to the city: from the street, an unmarked stairwell leads up. Look for the steep flight of stairs between shops on Hasırcılar Caddesi, near the Spice Bazaar's southwest corner. Don't be discouraged by the unassuming entrance — the interior is one of the most-photographed small rooms in the world.

Free entry. Smaller than the imperial mosques, so it's a perfect quick stop on a Spice Bazaar wander.