Author
Architect: Khoja Mimar Sinan Agha (died 996/1588); Calligrapher: Qarakhisari Ahmed Efendi (875-963/1470-1556).
Author Original
المعمار خوجة معمار سنان آغا توفي عام ؛ الخطاط قاراخيساري أحمد أفندي
Publication Date
957/ 1550
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;25;ar
Library Location
Istanbul, Türkiye
Date
957/ 1550
Notes
The Sulaymaniyah Mosque is considered one of the architectural masterpieces of the architect Sinan during his period of absolute leadership in this profession, which was also embodied by the Selimiye Mosque. The mosque is located in the center of a college-style complex, with an area of 60,000 square meters, in an area also called Sulaymaniyah. The mosque is part of the complex and independent of the rest of the buildings, as it stands in the middle of a courtyard with an area of 216 x 144 meters. There is a cemetery next to the mosque on the south side, which includes two tombs. Sultan Suleiman and his wife, in addition to the guard’s room. The other buildings of the complex are distributed around the mosque and the cemetery from the east, west and north in the shape of the letter ‘U’. To the north of the mosque there is a small hotel, a soup kitchen, and a hospital. As for the west, there is a primary school, a medical school, the first and second schools, and a market consisting of 36 shops. From the east, the third and fourth schools; To the south-east is the school of hadiths and the bathroom. In the north-eastern corner of the complex is the tomb of Sinan, the architect of the mosque, with its modest canopies. The Sulaymaniyah Mosque consists of a rectangular prayer hall, almost square in shape, its dimensions are 69 x 63 m, and a courtyard with porticoes. There is a rectangular water basin in the middle of the courtyard, and the spaces of the porticoes are all domed. The building contains four minarets, two of which In the northeast and northwest corners of the prayer hall, and two in the northeast and northwest corners of the courtyard. The two minarets of the mosque hall are 76 meters high and each has three balconies, while the height of the two minarets protruding from the courtyard reaches 56 meters, and each has two balconies. The prayer hall is covered by a central dome with a diameter of 27.40 meters supported by four massive columns, each measuring 6.20 x 5.10 meters, and connected to each other. some by pointed arches; The height of the dome from the ground is 49.50 metres. The rectangular areas on the northern and southern sides of the central area are covered by semi-domes, while the eastern and western areas are covered by domes of different sizes. The huge columns of the central area are connected by pointed arches, which in turn are connected to the supports located in the main walls. To break the monotony that can arise from the supports, the eastern and western walls of the building were provided with porticoes and balconies. All of the complex’s buildings were covered with elegant cut stones, in While the other parts, such as the entrance to the mosque, the mihrab, and the pulpit, are covered with marble. The two most richly decorated monuments among the complex’s buildings are the tombs of Sultan Suleiman and his wife, which were decorated with ceramic tiles and designs executed with paint (Ashi Qalam). As for the decoration of the mosque, it is rather simple. The main decorative elements consist of colored (Ashi Qalam) drawings in the domes of the prayer hall and the courtyard, and inscriptions on veins of pearls and ivory. The lower row window shutters and the original stained-glass windows of the south wall are painted on wood. In the 13th / 19th century, the Fossati brothers added decorations in the style prevalent at the time to the decoration in the prayer hall, but they were removed during the restoration operations that took place in the period 1961-1967, and the original decoration appeared again. The rest of the buildings remained unadorned. The mosque has maintained its function as a place of worship to this day, as for the rest The complex buildings are used for various purposes.
Sample Text
“Sulaymaniyah Complex” within Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;25;ar
