Suleymaniye and Blue Mosque

The Suleymaniye

The Ottoman Empire was a dominant power all over the world during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent (Kanuni Sultan Suleyman), this period is naturally accepted as the peak of Turkish history. In Sinan, the sultan found an architect at the same intelligence level with himself. The mosque, built between 1550-1557 brings such a beauty to the atmosphere of the city, no other building can. As the best example of Ottoman classicism in Istanbul; only The Selimiye Mosque in Edime, “the mastery work” of Sinan that was built when he was old can be superior to The Suleymaniye in terms of perfection. In his autobiography, Sinan says that Haghia Sophia had accompanied to tfil him as a criterion until the last building he built; he wanted to show that he “could do better than the Greeks.” Indeed, he showed he was superior to the architects of Justinianus with The Suleymaniye. The architecture of the mosque is apparent, the four piers are not hidden as they are in Haghia Sophia. The dome is carried by four piers that get sharper upwards, thus giving this well-proportioned structure a weight that is “as light as feather”. The sharp vaults, made of dark red granite brought from Ballbek and At Meydam (Hippodrome), takes the main area to the side ones; and the semi domes over the mihrap – t he niche indicating the direction of Mecca – and the entrance in perfect harmony with the side domes, removing the feeling of limitation.

The heaped dome system presents a wonderful view when looked outside. The mosque standing on the hills with great majesty can be watched especially from the Galata Bridge and the Bosphorus with a great taste. The four minarets with ten balconies in total are the symbols for Sultan Suleyman, the tenth sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the fourth sultan to rule in Istanbul. Sinan had built two of the minarets shorter than the others; a perfect invention to show the building more harmonious with the slope of the hill. The tombs (Turbe) of Sultan Suleyman and his wife I hirrem Sultan is located in the cemetery behind the mosque. “The Sultan is so much in love with and devoted to his wife that, his subjects think that Hurrem Sultan has bewitched him.”a Venetian wrote about this couple. Hurrem Sultan, i iriginally Russian and called Roxelane by the Europeans in Istanbul, had given a cold reception to Kanuni Sultan Suleyman until he said he was ready to marry her -an instance that never occurred among other Ottoman sultans. You can find the modest tomb of Sinan right next to the Suleymaniye, where Mimar Sinan Caddesi makes a junction. “The only person that never disappointed me.” said Kanuni Sultan Suleyman for Sinan.

The Blue Mosque

Sultan Ahmet Cami is the sign of Istanbul and the favorite of Muslims tourists: It is the biggest mosque of the city with its six minarets and called “The Blue Mosque” because of its tile decoration. The Blue Mosque, built on a high hill at the shore of the Sea of Marmara across Haghia Sophia, has domes that symmetrically widening in all directions with three storeys.

The interior of the building is in great unity and simplicity, such as the exterior. The blue and white of more than 20,000 iznik tiles are in a perfect harmony with golden manuscripts of Koran and the red of the carpets. The giant area (51m by 53,) is full of light but also in a mystic darkness owing to its more than 260 windows, mostly coloured. The Blue Mosque, completed in 1616, is the example of the last point the Ottoman architecture reached. The Empire began loosing power in the following years.