Süleymaniye Mosque

Mimar Sinan built the Süleymaniye between 1550 and 1557 for Süleyman I, and it is generally taken as the point at which Ottoman architecture stopped answering the Hagia Sophia and started speaking for itself. The dome rises on a square of piers with half-domes east and west, and the interior is startlingly bright and undivided - the light comes from windows in the drum and the walls and the space reads as one volume rather than a series of bays. The acoustics were engineered deliberately, with clay resonators built into the dome. Around the mosque is the külliye, the complex of buildings that made it a working institution: madrasas, a hospital, a kitchen for the poor, a caravanserai, baths, and the walled garden holding the tombs of Süleyman and Hürrem Sultan. The terrace on the Golden Horn side gives one of the best views in the city, and the tea gardens below it have made a business of that.

History

Suleiman the Magnificent was so pleased with the Şehzade Mosque that Mimar Sinan had built in memory of his son Mehmed that he asked Sinan to design a mosque for himself, one meant to surpass those of his predecessors. An inscription gives 1550 for its foundation and 1557 for its inauguration, though work on the complex probably went on for some years more, and it was built on the site of the Old Palace, the Eski Saray, which had to be pulled down. Its design recalls the Hagia Sophia, and Suleiman's mausoleum behind it echoes the Dome of the Rock, in keeping with his image as a second Solomon; it remains the largest Ottoman mosque in the city (Wikipedia, Süleymaniye Mosque).

The main sights

• The main dome - the bright, undivided interior beneath it.
• The külliye - madrasas, kitchen and hospital around the mosque.
• The tomb garden - Süleyman's and Hürrem's türbe behind.
• The terrace view - the Golden Horn and the city below.

When to go

April to June and September to October for comfortable weather. Mid-morning or mid-afternoon between prayers; Friday midday is closed to visitors.

What to expect

It is a working mosque - shoes off, shoulders and knees covered, headscarf for women, and closure at prayer times. Restoration scaffolding appears periodically. The uphill walk from the tram is steeper than it looks.

Nearby

The Grand Bazaar and Beyazıt are downhill; Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Spice Bazaar are toward Eminönü.

Key facts