Istanbul Guide

BAZAAR DISTRICT

SÜLEYMANIYE MOSQUE

AIVITA ARIKA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

DON’T MISS  Mosque

Commissioned by Süleyman I, known as the Magnificent, this was the fourth imperial mosque built in İ stanbul and it certainly lives up to its patron’s nickname. Crowning one of İ stanbul’s seven hills, the mosque and its surrounding külliye (mosque complex) was designed by Mimar Sinan, the most famous and talented of all imperial architects. The Mosque The mosque was built between 1550 and 1557. Though it’s seen some hard times, having been damaged by fire in 1660 and then having its wonderful columns covered by cement and oil paint at some point after this, restorations in 1956 and 2010 mean that it’s now in great shape. It’s also one of the most popular mosques in the city, with its worshippers rivalling those of the Blue and New Mosques in number.

 Türbes (tombs)  Külliye (mosque complex)  View from terrace PRACTICALITIES  Map p242, C3  Professor S ı dd ı k Sami Onar Caddesi  m Vezneciler

The building’s setting and plan are particularly pleasing, featuring gardens and a three sided forecourt with a central domed ablutions fountain. The four minarets with their 10 beautiful ş erefes (balconies) are said to represent the fact that Süleyman was the fourth of the Osmanl ı sultans to rule the city and the 10th sultan after the establishment of the empire. In the garden behind the mosque is a terrace offering lovely views of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus. The street underneath once housed the külliye’s arasta (row of shops), which was built into the retaining wall of the terrace. Close by was a five-level mülazim (preparatory school). Inside, the building is breathtaking in its size and pleasing in its simplicity. Sinan in corporated the four buttresses into the walls of the building – the result is wonderfully ‘transparent’ (ie open and airy) and highly reminiscent of Aya Sofya, especially as the dome is nearly as large as the one that crowns the Byzantine basilica.