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The tomb (türbe) of Selim II (1566-1574) was built after his death in 1577. Its site to the southwest of the Hagia Sophia was prepared during extensive repairs conducted during the sultan's rule when the immediate vicinity of the converted cathedral was cleared of residential structures. The tombs of his son Murad III (1574-1595) and his grandson Mehmed III (1595-1603) were built later at either side of his tomb. Inside the tomb, lie his wife Nurbanu Sultan, as well as Gevherhan and Ismihan Sultans.

In addition to the sarcophagus of Selim II, the tomb houses the graves of forty-four other members of the Ottoman family, including Selim II's wife, five sons and three daughters and twenty-one sons and thirteen daughters of Murad III.

The tradition of burying Ottoman Sultans in tomb in the burial areas of dynastic mosques built for their own commemoration was broken with Selim II, since he had chosen Edirne as the location of the grand mosque to be built in his name. However, the Hagia Sophia was rearranged by the order of Selim II, to become his sultanate mosque, with the inclusion of minarets and further restoration. The Tomb of Sultan Selim II was subsequently added to its courtyard.

It is designed by head-architect Mimar Sinan (1492-1588). The tomb is oriented parallel to the Hagia Sophia, facing northwest. It has a complex structure assembled from a square outer shell and an octagonal inner shell. From the exterior, the tomb appears as a squat square structure with chamfered corners, covered by an inset dome raised on a multifaceted drum that extends outward to meet the square façade above the entrance. A three-bay portico with a dome at the center and barrel vaults over the side bays precedes the entryway.

Inside, the dome sits on eight arches carried on columns that are tied with shorter arches to the exterior wall. Four corner arches of the dome are braced with semi-domes that help carry some of the dome's weight onto the outer shell; they project only slightly from the drum on the exterior. The interior is well-lit with two tiers of windows on the square shell, a third row of windows on the dome's drum and eight windows on the lead-covered dome. Built entirely of cut stone, the tomb is paved with marble panels on the exterior that were carved in situ.

The tomb of Selim II is well known for the sixteenth century Iznik tiles that decorate the interior and the portico faзade. There are two famous floral panels on either side of the entrance; the left one was taken out of the country during a restoration in the late nineteenth century and is currently exhibited at the Musre du Louvre. Sections of the calligraphic band between the upper and lower windows on the interior are also missing and were painted in during contemporary restorations.