Lala Pasha Mosque Lala Pasha Mosque, the first mosque constructed in Erzurum under the Ottoman Empire, served as a blueprint for other Ottoman mosques. Built by the Governor of Erzurum, Lala Mustafa Pasha, in 1562, who was also the commander of Suleiman the Magnificent during the conquest of Cyprus. Located near the palace mosque and a primary school, the Lala Pasha Mosque was designed in Istanbul's "plan type" style, which was later used for other notable mosques like Şehzadebaşı, Sultan Ahmet, Eminönü Yeni Mosque, and Yeni Fatih, albeit on a smaller scale. The mosque boasts four domes on each corner and 28 windows arranged in two rows. The interior is illuminated by half cross vaults that are supported by pointed arches on all four sides. During the city's occupation by the Russians, the tiles on the window pediments in the lower row were damaged due to bullets fired through them. The courtyard of the mosque includes an octagonal fountain with a conical roof, with columns that feature beautiful stone carvings. The narthex, which has an architectural style typical of Ottoman design, is open on all sides and is fronted by pointed arches. An edict is located on shaped marble slabs on the west altar of the narthex, which dates back to the reign of Mehmed IV. The edict declares that the residents of the area were granted tax exemption when peace was restored to Istanbul after he overthrew his brother Ibrahim.