Sedefkar Mehmed Agha

Sedefkar Mehmed Agha (c. 1540–1617) built Istanbul's Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Blue Mosque. He was brought to Istanbul through the devshirme in 1563 and worked for twenty years in mother-of-pearl inlay, earning the surname Sedefkâr. He became Mimar Sinan's pupil and assistant, and in 1606 became chief imperial architect.

Between 1609 and 1616 he built the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, its central dome buttressed by four semi-domes in a blend of Hagia Sophia and Sinan's style. He died in 1617.