Index:
Praising the Sun and Moon: Mihrimah Sultan Mosque
The construction of lamentation: Şehzade Mosque
The power symbol of the era: Süleymaniye Mosque
Timeless architecture: Mağlova Aqueduct
The masterpiece of Architect Sinan: Selimiye Mosque
About Mimar Sinan
Mimar Sinan was born in Aǧırnas, Kayseri sometime in the 1490s. His father was a stonemason and carpenter and Sinan planned to follow in his footsteps. Instead, he was brought to İstanbul during the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim Sinan through the devşirme (child tribute) system. There he was educated in mathematics and carpentry and, as his skills were recognized, in architecture. He joined the Janissary Corps in 1512 and later became a captain in the Royal Guard. According to some sources, Sinan’s illustrious career began during the 1538 Moldovan campaign, when Ottoman troops needed a way to cross the Prut River. The first attempt at building a bridge in the swampy area was a failure. Subsequently, Lütfi Pasha assigned the bridge construction to Sinan who completed it in thirteen days. Sinan thereafter served as the chief architect under three Ottoman emperors. While his first assignments were designing and building infrastructure and other public works, Mimar Sinan architecture brought an unprecedented level of innovation even to these functional structures, all the while honing and developing his techniques. His later designs are the geometric and lyrical expressions of a brilliant mind.
Sinan’s childhood friend, the poet Sâi Mustafa Çelebi, helped Sinan compose his autobiography, the Book of Structures: Tezkiretü’l-bünyan and Tezkiretü’l-ebniye. Memoirs of Sinan the Architect.
“The Age of Sinan” refers to period when approximately one hundred mosques and more than three hundred and sixty other notable works were built by the architect. Sinan’s tomb, which resembles a compass from above, is in the Süleymaniye Complex and is today considered his masterpiece.
Praising the Sun and Moon: Mihrimah Sultan Mosque
Suleiman the Magnificent’s only daughter with Hürrem Sultana was Mihrimah Sultan. It is commonly known that the palatial style of the 16th-century Mihrimah Sultan Mosque was tribute to the sultana’s privileged position in the court. Built in the Golden City of Üsküdar, the mosque is set in Üsküdar Square, and features lighted windows, pulpits, and a wide terrace – befitting the elegance of a youthful Ottoman sultan whose name means “Sun and Moon”.
The construction of lamentation: Şehzade Mosque
Mimar Sinan’s works adhered to the dynasty’s hierarchy and architectural etiquette standards: each structure was carefully calculated, and each element designed to complement the others. It is no coincidence that the number of balconies in the minarets increased or decreased, as did the diameters of the domes. The Şehzade Mustafa Mosque (1543-1548), Sinan’s first work in İstanbul, was erected in the memory of Şehzade Mustafa, brother to Mihrimah Sultan and the son of Suleiman the Magnificent. The prince died at the age of 22 and the mosque built in his honor was designed as a social complex, with an imaret, madrasah, tabhane (nursing home), and tombs, as well as a 19-meter dome. Years later, the 12-meter dome in the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque mimicked the design. The Şehzade Mosque, built during Sinan’s apprenticeship, was the first known biaxial and symmetrical mosque in the world.
The power symbol of the era: Süleymaniye Mosque
Among of the most prominent monuments of Ottoman-era architecture, the Süleymaniye Mosque is on the outskirts of İstanbul ’s Fatih neighborhood. An iconic structure in İstanbul that illustrates Sinan’s brilliance as well as the historical power of Suleiman the Magnificent, the mosque was erected between 1551 and 1557, during Sinan’s ‘apprenticeship period’ and by order of Suleiman. The Süleymaniye Mosque features a dome that is 27.5 meters in diameter and 53 meters high. Its four minarets represent Suleiman’s rank as the Ottoman Empire’s fourth sultan following the conquest of İstanbul , while the ten minaret balconies represent the Ottoman Empire’s tenth sultan. Among the most intriguing and praiseworthy qualities of the Süleymaniye Mosque is its acoustic construction, which can retain sound in the air for three and a half seconds. Throughout its 465-year history, the mosque has endured nearly one hundred earthquakes undamaged.
Mimar Sinan in historical landmarks and timeless architecture: The Mağlova Aqueduct
Erected between 1554 and 1563 to supply water to İstanbul, the Mağlova Aqueduct dates from Sinan’s ‘master stage’. The aqueduct was destroyed by a storm after its completion but Sinan rebuilt it, deploying innovative techniques. Still standing today in what is now the borders of İstanbul’s Sultangazi and Eyüp districts, the aqueduct is 255 meters long and 38 meters high.
The masterpiece of Architect Sinan: Selimiye Mosque
The Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex is in Edirne. Considered among the world’s architectural splendours, the Mimar Sinan Mosque of Selim II is larger than the Hagia Sophia. The Selimiye Mosque is connected by arches that are six meters wide. It is regarded worldwide as a one-of-a-kind structure and has some of the finest examples of stone, marble, tile, wood, and mother-of-pearl craftsmanship.
Sources:
Anadolu Agency
britannica.com
dailysabah.com
İBB TV
kulturportali.gov.tr
uskudar.bel.tr
