Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

Lala Pasha Mosque is the first mosque built in Erzurum during the Ottoman period, which was a model for other Ottoman mosques built here. The mosque was built on the orders of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman in 1562 AD, when he was the ruler of Erzurum. The mosque was distinguished by a similar design to Istanbul mosques such as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque and the Eminonu Yeni and Yeni Fatih Mosques, but on a much smaller scale than them, where the central dome bears four columns in the middle, the semi-crusader vaults supported by pointed arches on four sides, and a central plan cover consisting of four Small domes in the corners, wall inscriptions and distinctive Islamic decorations that suggest prestige and reverence.