Safiye Sultan began the mosque in 1597, two years after her son Mehmed III's accession. Work stopped after 1603, and after the Great Fire of 1660 Turhan Sultan resumed construction. The text says it was completed in 1663 and inaugurated in 1665, while the infobox gives 1665. Davut Ağa, a pupil of Sinan who died in 1599, was the first architect, followed by Dalgıç Ahmed Çavuş and Mustafa Ağa.
The plan draws on Sinan's Şehzade Mosque and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. The main dome is 118 feet (36 m) high outside, with an interior 135 feet (41 m) square, and two minarets rise 171 feet (52 m). A pyramid of 66 domes and semi-domes forms the exterior. A peristyle with 24 small domes borders the courtyard.
Cut stone, granite and marble were used, with some stone from Rhodes. Iznik tiles decorate the porch facade and interior. The market of the complex survives as the Spice Bazaar.
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