Molla Zeyrek Mosque

The Molla Zeyrek Mosque stands out as a sprawling, multi-domed assembly of brickwork that serves as the second-largest surviving religious structure built by the Byzantines in Istanbul. Originally commissioned in the twelfth century by Empress Eirene, it began as the Monastery of Christ Pantokrator, a massive complex that included a hospital, a pharmacy, and a library. It eventually became the imperial burial ground for the Komnenos and Palaiologos dynasties, housing the remains of several Byzantine emperors and empresses within its stone walls.