Shemsi Ahmet Pasha Mosque

This guide to Şemsi Ahmet Pasha Mosque on Istanbul's Üsküdar waterfront tells the story of the Ottoman governor-general who commissioned it, and his unusual request to be buried within earshot of the prayer hall behind an iron grille. It follows architect Sinan, then in his final years, as he sited one of his smallest Istanbul mosques right at the water's edge and built in a drainage system for stormy days. Locals call it Kuşkonmaz, the place where birds don't land — listen for why the wind here works in the building's favor.