Author
The architect: Khoja Mimar Sinan Agha, while the annexes were built by the architect Dawud Agha.
Author Original
المعمار خوجة معمار سنان آغا، أما الملحقات فبنيت على يد المعمار داؤود آغا
Publication Date
982/ 1574
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;23;ar
Library Location
Edirne, Türkiye
Date
982/ 1574
Notes
The Selimiye Mosque was built by the famous Ottoman architect Sinan in an area called Qawaq Meydanı or Sarıbayır. It is considered one of the most important buildings in the history of world architecture, as it is an architectural masterpiece: an edifice with a distinctive design. The mosque, as well as the two schools surrounding it from the south-east and south-west, are located in the middle of a courtyard with an area of 190 The hand of the architect Davut Agha during the reign of Sultan Murad III (reigned in the period 982-1003 / 1574-1595). The mosque consists of a rectangular, semi-square prayer hall on the northern side, and a courtyard with porticoes. There are three entrances to the courtyard: from the north, east, and west. In the middle of the courtyard there is a water fountain with 12 sides. There are two spaces in the portico, which is designated For latecomers, each of them is roofed with a wooden vault, while the rest of the spaces are covered with domes. In each corner of the prayer hall stands out a minaret with a height of 71 meters and three balconies. The balconies of the northeastern and northwestern minarets can be entered by three independent stairs. The main feature that gives the Selimiye Mosque its architectural grandeur is the ceiling of the prayer hall. The pylonic dome rises to 42.25 meters and has a diameter of 31.28 meters, and is based on eight columns for each. Including 12 sides. The transition area from the semi-square plan to the dome was made by huge niches in the corners. The eastern and western columns were reinforced with two supports each, concealed behind the porticoes and balconies. In the interior, the spaces separating the walls and columns were decorated with prominent balconies. In the Selimiye Mosque, Sinan abandoned the areas with semi-domes and secondary domes that he used in other buildings with central designs (with the exception of the semi-dome that covers the area of the mihrab); Thus, he solved the problem of harmony in the interior spaces. In the middle of the prayer hall there is a booth for singers, with water underneath it. As for the Sultan’s Maqsurah, it is located in the southeast corner. The main external walls of the building are covered with carved square stones, while some architectural elements, such as the main entrance, the mihrab, and the pulpit, are covered with marble. As for the walls of the domed space of the mihrab, the walls of the Sultan’s Maqsurah, the window pediment, and the spaces separating the women’s balcony, they are all decorated with colored Iznik ceramic tiles under a glazed layer. Part of the ceramic tiles were gouged out. From the Sultan’s cabin during the Ottoman-Russian war in the year 1293/1877-1878, it was transferred to Moscow, but was returned in the period between 1982-1984. The singing chamber and the dome were decorated with arrangements of colorful flowers. The pulpit, with its luxurious geometric decoration, and the mihrab, with its polygonal recess and muqarnas ceiling, are considered among the finest Ottoman examples of marble carvings. Selimiye Mosque was restored in the period between 1954 and 1971, and is still used today as a place of worship. The madrasa located to the southeast of the mosque is today used as a museum of Turkish and Islamic art in Edirne. As for the madrasa of Hadiths of the Prophet to the southwest, it is no longer in use.
Sample Text
“Seleymiye Mosque” within Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;23;ar
