Author
The Turkish architect was Sinan, and the master builder was a Persian named Mulla Agha, who was partly assisted by Turkish supervisors, one of whom was named Mustafa.
Author Original
المعمار التركي سنان، وقد كان المعلم البناء فارسياً يدعى ملا آغا، ساعده جزئياً مشرفون أتراك كان اسم أحدهم مصطفى
Publication Date
62-974/ 4/1555-6/1567
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;sy;Mon01;19;ar
Library Location
Damascus, Syria
Date
62-974/ 4/1555-6/1567
Notes
The Sulaymaniyah Hospice was established with a school on a meadow that was used as a racetrack during the Zengid period. It is the Green Square, located 800 meters west of the old city of Damascus on the southern bank of the Barada River. It is the place occupied by the Ablaq Palace belonging to Sultan Baibars, who ruled in the period 58-675/60-1277, and the place where Tamerlane stayed during his attack on Damascus. The hospice was a hostel for pilgrims where the Food was provided free of charge. The entire complex was surrounded by a wall, and to the west of it, there was a large empty space that was used to set up tents for pilgrims. The main entrance, located to the east, led to a wide heavenly space containing a large central rectangular pool that was a gathering point. The mosque, which was fronted by two porticoes, with its twin minarets, was considered a royal establishment. On either side of the heavenly space was a row of small rooms, while facing the mosque was the hospice, where two dining rooms were placed along the eastern and western walls. Each of them is covered by fourteen domes, and between them is located the large kitchen, which is preceded by a portico. The reason for its presence may be to provide shade for the pilgrims queuing for food, and it also gives a striking appearance to the kitchen area. On either side of the kitchen are two smaller rooms, each covered by twin domes that may have been used as warehouses or dining rooms for Hajj leaders. The compound wall was provided with a smaller entrance to the north of the hospice for the use of servants and the delivery of orders. Local construction activities continued. And it was modest in its traditional way immediately after Ottoman control until the middle of the tenth / sixteenth century, which indicates tolerance in power, and this was evident in the restoration of the Mamluk rulers to their positions, and in the use of Syrian architects in construction, such as the architect Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn al-Attar, who worked for Sultan Selim I in renovating the mosque and tomb of the famous Sufi Muhi al-Din ibn Arabi in Salihiya. Although the Turkish architect Sinan (895-996/ 1490-1588) was the one who designed the hospice building, but he did not personally supervise the construction. Rather, he delegated most of the work to local supervisors. Local workers were consulted and left their mark on the details of the decoration, such as the horizontal rows of dark and light stones (ablaq), as seen in the used qashani. Characteristics of the local qashani, which was inspired by Turkish Iznik production, except that it was less glamorous than it. The distinctive location of the complex in the middle of a long commercial road and the Al-Hajmah Road made it A stop for pilgrims and travelers from across the Ottoman Empire and beyond, who used to rest there before continuing on their way to the Holy Lands in the Arabian Peninsula. Its distinct Ottoman style, with its porticoes, domes, and pencil-shaped minarets, made it a clear display of Ottoman sovereignty.
Sample Text
Verena Daiber “Sulaymaniyah Hospice” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;sy;Mon01;19;ar
