Built by the great Sinan in 1555, this mosque was commissioned by the admiral Sinan Pasha, who was instrumental in Beşiktaş rising from its humble beginnings as a sleepy village and turing into a modern Ottoman town.

Sinan Pasha was the commander of the Ottoman navy from 1550 until his death in 1553. He was the brother of Rüştem Pasha, the grand vizier and son-in-law of Sultan Süleyman. Following Sinan Pasha’s death, he was buried in the courtyard of his sister-in-law Mihrimah Sultan’s mosque just across the water in Üsküdar.