SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE

SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE

Suleymaniye Mosque was constructed by Mimar Sinan, the most famous architect in Turkish history, between the years 1550–1557, ordered by Sultan Süleyman I (Suleyman The Magnificent). Prior to his career as an architect, Mimar Sinan served in the army and was in charge of building structures required throughout the campaigns. Close to the age of 50 he was appointed as chief architect, and in his long career of 49 years, he built numerous remarkable monuments. Without any doubt, Süleymaniye Mosque is one of the most prominent of these masterpieces. In fact, according to Sinan’s own ranking of his work, Süleymaniye is the “work of his foremanship,” in second place after Selimiye Mosque and before Sehzade Mosque.

He designed Suleymaniye in the form of a complex. Aside from the mosque, the complex includes buildings such as a kindergarten, madrasas (the colleges of that time) for various degrees and sciences (for instance Prophetic tradition, Qur'an recitation and memorization, medicine), a guesthouse, a hospital, a public kitchen, a public bath, bazaar shops, caravansaries and the tombs of the sultan and his wife. Sinan's own tomb is located in a small corner.

Suleymaniye Mosque eschews ornate ostentation in favour of refined elegance. Rather than emphasizing the embellishments, Sinan chose to highlight his architectural genius. He equipped the mosque with strikingly functional details that have worked for centuries. Today, after the Blue Mosque, it is the second most popular mosque in the country for both Turkish and foreign visitors, and a must-see if you’re interested in visiting Turkey’s most beautiful destinations.