Nurbanu died at Istanbul on 7 December 1583, during the reign of her son Murad III.
She was buried next to Selim II in his mausoleum in the courtyard of Hagia Sophia, thus becoming the first wife of a Sultan to receive the honor of being laid to rest next to her spouse.

Nurbanu Sultan attracted great respect not only during her life but also after her death.
As against the norm that sultans remained in the palace during the funeral procession, Murad III accompanied his mother’s corpse, both walking and crying, up to the Fatih mosque where her burial service was to be read.
The farthest sultanic mosque from the imperial palace, i.e., the Fatih Mosque, was assigned for the funeral rite.
This choice not only enabled as many people as possible to give their blessing to the soul of Nurbanu Sultan but also maintained the extensive appreciation of this religious respect paid to her by the residents of the imperial capital.

Preceding Nurbanu's death, the Venetian ambassador in the Ottoman palace, Paolo Contarini had stated All goods and evils are coming from the mother queen.
 When Nurbanu died in December 1583, the successor of Contarini reported the following:
"The death of this woman upset some according to their vested interests while contented others.
The great authority she enjoyed with her son had gained many people important profits, while on the contrary had eliminated the hopes of some for realizing their wishes.
Nevertheless, everybody admits in general that she was an excessively good, courageous and erudite woman"
Nurbanu died at Istanbul on 7 December 1583, during the reign of her son Murad III. She was buried next to Selim II in his mausoleum in the courtyard of Hagia Sophia, thus becoming the first wife of a Sultan to receive the honor of being laid to rest next to her spouse.
Nurbanu Sultan attracted great respect not only during her life but also after her death. As against the norm that sultans remained in the palace during the funeral procession, Murad III accompanied his mother’s corpse, both walking and crying, up to the Fatih mosque where her burial service was to be read. The farthest sultanic mosque from the imperial palace, i.e., the Fatih Mosque, was assigned for the funeral rite. This choice not only enabled as many people as possible to give their blessing to the soul of Nurbanu Sultan but also maintained the extensive appreciation of this religious respect paid to her by the residents of the imperial capital. 
Preceding Nurbanu's death, the Venetian ambassador in the Ottoman palace, Paolo Contarini had stated All goods and evils are coming from the mother queen.  When Nurbanu died in December 1583, the successor of Contarini reported the following:
"The death of this woman upset some according to their vested interests while contented others. The great authority she enjoyed with her son had gained many people important profits, while on the contrary had eliminated the hopes of some for realizing their wishes. Nevertheless, everybody admits in general that she was an excessively good, courageous and erudite woman"
Nurbanu Sultan