Justinian's cathedral of Hagia Sophia was converted into an imperial mosque, as eventually were numerous other churches and monasteries.

Religious foundations were established to fund the construction of ornate imperial mosques, often adjoined by schools, hospitals, and public baths.

Following the model of Rome, the historic peninsula is said to be characterized by seven hills, each topped by imperial mosques.

Aya Sofya became the first imperial mosque of Istanbul.

Mehmet the Conqueror immediately converted the building to an imperial mosque, and built a brick minaret at the southeast corner.

D Map The Fatih was the first great imperial mosque built in İstanbul following the Conquest.

In addition to Kadizade's appointment with Sultan Selim, he was granted admittance to the ranks of the imperial mosques.

As with other imperial mosques in Istanbul, the mosque itself is preceded by a monumental courtyard (avlu) on its west side.

The interior of the mosque is decorated with blue, green and white İznik tiles, which are considered somewhat inferior in quality to tiles in earlier imperial mosques.

The Yavuz Selim Mosque is the second oldest existent imperial mosque in Istanbul.