Suleymaniye Mosque

Süleymaniye (Süleyman the Magnificent) Mosque was built between 1550 and 1557, it is one of the best works of Sinan, the famest ottoman architect. The mosque is part of a külliye, ahuge complex which comprised a school of theology (medrese), arms-houses, infirmaries, caravanserais, a medical school, baths, schools of tradition, a hospital, cells and shops. The inner courtyard is surrounded by porticoes topped with 28 domes supported by 24 ancient columns (2 made of porphyre, 10 of white marble and 12 of granite). In the centre of the courtyard is a "sadirvan" or fountain for ablutions covered by a pitched roof. The total of ten balconies of the four minarets symbolises the fact that Süleyman the Magnificent was the tenth Ottoman sultan. The following lines relate an anecdot about the construction of the mosque: "as the building works had slowed down for a while, rumors, saying that the task was beyond Sinan's capacity, came to the ear of Tahmasb Shah of Persia who sent a chest full of precious stones that should be sold in order to contribute to the construction of the mosque. Sultan Süleyman very much offended called Sinan and told him to take the precious stones and do what was necessary for the mosque. Before everyone's eyes Sinan accomplished the ironical order by crushig the gems to powder and stirring them into the building mortar..."

The inside of the mosque is 70m / 230ft long and 61m / 200ft wide; the central dome with a diameter of 27.5m / 90ft is pierced with 32 windows and supported by semi-domes on the sides. The height of the dome from the ground to the keystone is 47.75 m / 156.6 ft.

Every detail contributes to make this mosque exceptional: its harmonious proportions; the light that comes through the 138 windows; excellent acoustics; beautiful calligraphies executed by Ahmet Karahisar and his pupil Hasan Çelebi; the "mihrab" or prayer niche indicating the direction of Mecca is remarkable for its intricate marble carving; the tiles and stained glasses (only those above the mihrab are original); the "minber" (pulpit); and to avoid the smoke of the thousand oil candles that would have damaged the paintings of the walls, an ingenius ventilation system which drew the currents of air inside the building into a small chamber over the main entrance where the lampback, which was the principal ingredient of the ink used by Turkish calligraphers, could be collected. Sultan Süleyman and his favourite wife Roxelane (Hürrem Sultan), as well as Sinan, are buried in the Süleymaniye complex.