The Suleymaniye Mosque

The Suleymaniye is one of the finest and most magnificent imperial mosque complexes in the city. Suleymaniye Mosque crowns the third hill of the old city and adds a great deal to the unrivalled beauty of the city's skyline. Suleyman was the tenth sultan of the Ottoman dynasty . After thirty years of rule, Suleyman The Magnificent decided to have a mosque built and Sinan, the greatest of Ottoman architects, was commissioned.

Sınan was born ın Kayserı ın 1489. After his schooling in Istanbul he served in the army, He was promoted to the position of the head architect by Suleymaniye in 1539. Until his death in 1588 he built 334 edifices. among them were 132 mosques, 26 libraries, 17 hospitals, 33 palaces, 7 aqueducts and many tombs and fountains.

The construction of the Suleymaniye began in 1550 and the mosque was completed in 1557.The generous sultan gave the honor of opening the Suleymaniye to his architect Sinan, the creator of the finest mosque in Istanbul.

The mosque stands in the center of the courtyard surrounded on three sides by a wall with grilled windows. There are 24 marble and granite columns which carry the weight of 28 domes. In the four corners of this courtyard there are four minarets rising with ten balconies. The interior is approximately 58.5 by 57.5 meters. The dome, with a height of 47 meters and diameter of 26.5 meters, joined to the central dome in the east and the west where two semi domes are supported by smaller domes. It can be said that Sinan rarely succeeded with the interior of his west walls. In almost every case there is a tendency to squeeze the portal.

Suleymaniye suprises visitors with its solid architecture and modest decorations with the exception of magnificent stainglass windows, made by master Ibrahim. Fine 16th century Iznik tiles decorate the mihrap area of the mosque.