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PALACES, MOSQUES AND BAZAARS OF ISTANBUL
SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE
 Mosque
is located in a neighbourhood of Eminonu named after it Suleymaniye.
It was built by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent in 1557 and designed
by Achitect Sinan.
The Suleymaniye complex is represented the second
and most important stage in an achitectural tradition which began
with the Fatih Complex, namely symmetreical grouping and use of
geometric shaping among the layout of the complex buildings. Of
unprecedented size and architectural design, the Suleymaniye Complex
is includes a mosque, medrese, hospital, lunatic asylum, infirmary,toms,hamam,market
and a primary school.
The Suleymaniye Mosque is an awesome work of
art, dating from a time when Ottoman state was at its most splendid.
Grandeur symbolised the period. The mosque, which were the most
important feature of the silhouette of Istanbul, were not just places
of worship. The complexes and neighbourhoods which surrounded them
made them into focus of social and cultural life, an institution
which characterised city life.
The Suleymaniye Mosque and Complex incorporate
the art and genius of Architect Sinan, the greatness and strength
of the Ottomans and the beauty and elegance of Istanbul.
 During
the construction of the mosque one of the largest building suplly
sheds in the history and architecture was realised. The supplies
brought from all corners of the Empire. The columns found in some
ancient ruins were detached, brought to Istanbul and used in the
interior of the Mosque.
The mosque is surrounded by an outer courtyard
with the kiblah, or direction to Mecca, being on one side along
with an enclosed cemetery containing graves and a mausoleum; the
opposite side to the kiblah contains an inner courtyard.
The marble-covered inner courtyard is entered
through a magnificent three-storey door the likes of which are seen
in no other mosque in Istanbul. The courtyard contains a pool and
water-jet fountain. Again unlile the other mosques, the four mimarets
stand in the four corners of the courtyard. The proportion exhibited
by the minarets and the domes is a product of genius.
The domes rise from the ground to a height of
50meters, and the minarets located where the courtyard meets the
walls of the mosque have three galleries and are 76 meters high.
The minarets located at the side of the courtyard with the entrance
have to galleries and are 56 meters high. This proportion is the
key to the perfection of the mosques silhouette.
The mosque has a main dome supported by two half-domes. Due to the
design of the domes, the acoustics within the mosque are exceptionarlly
clear. The air circulation within the mosque is also exceptional
and the space above the entrance is illumunated by 4000 candles.
Soot obtained from the candles is one of the raw materials the making
of ink used for calligraphy
 The
marble pulpit and mosque niche are works of art in the field of
engraving and carving. The carved lectern of the preacher, windows
and doors oŭf wood inlaid with mother of pearl, stained glass windows
and other decorative features of mosques are a low profile, the
emphasis in the interior of the mosque is decoration through calligraphy.
The medrese of the complex is found to the east
and west of the mosque along the walls of the inner courtyard. To
the west is the Evvel Medresse, Sani Medresse,Primary School,and
Medical West, the Rabi Medresse and Salis Medresse are located to
the east. The Darülhadis Medresse is found on the kiblah side of
the mosque and runs paralled to the garden of Istanbul University.
The hamam of the complex is located where Rabi
Medresse and Darulhadis Medresse intersect. It is a single hamam
for men only and was restored in 1980 after being used as a store
room for a period.
The clinic, hospital, mental asylum and infirmary
are located in the northwest of the complex parallel to the kiblah.
The soup kitchen of the complex the Darüzziyafe, functions today
as a restaurant serving classical Turkish cuisine.The kiblah side
of the mosque has a covered cemetery with a great number of graves,
the toms of Suleyman, the magnificent and his wife Hürrem Sultan
and a room for the keeper of the tombs. In the tomb belonging to
Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent are the remains of Sultan Ahmed
OO, his wife Rabia Sultan, daughters Mihrimah Sultan and Asiye Sultan,
and Sultan Suleyman II and his mother Saliha Dilasub Sultan.
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