Yavuz Sultan Selim Mosque was built for the 9th Ottoman Sultan, Selim I, also known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute. The mosque stands on the 5th hill of Istanbul’s historical peninsula. Interestingly, it was constructed over a Byzantine cistern, reflecting the historical narrative that the Ottomans, in a sense, continued the legacy of the Roman Empire.

The hill on which the mosque is located is the closest to the Golden Horn, making the mosque easily recognizable when viewed from across the water. Construction began in 1522, meaning the mosque was completed after Selim’s death but before the time of the great architect Mimar Sinan. Selim’s son and successor, Suleyman the Magnificent, later completed the unfinished parts of the mosque and finalized the entire complex.

It is worth noting that mosques commissioned for Ottoman sultans are called Selatin (Sultans’) mosques. These are typically built as large complexes (külliye), which include not only the mosque itself but also guesthouses, a soup kitchen, a hammam, schools, and shrines.