An Arabic foundation inscription names Mehmed Beg as the founder, and the mosque was completed in 965 AH (1557 to 1558). The article says it may have been designed by Mimar Sinan, which is not confirmed. Some scholars claim the patron's brother was Grand Vizier Rustem Pasha, though the article notes Rustem is recorded with only one brother.
It is an Ottoman domed cube of stone on a base of 43 by 43 feet (13 by 13 m), with a double portico, a dome on an octagonal drum and one minaret of 113 feet (34.5 m). The inner portico has marble columns. The outer dome diameter is 10.72 m in the infobox and 10.65 m in the text.
It was severely damaged in World War II and the 1990s. It was rebuilt and reopened in July 2004, and the same year it was designated a Category I national monument.
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