Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Top Sights
Süleymaniye Mosque
Commissioned by Süleyman I, known as 'The Magnifi-
cent', in 1550, the recently restored Süleymaniye was the
fourth imperial mosque built in İstanbul and it certainly
lives up to its patron's nickname. Crowning one of İstan-
bul's seven hills, it's the Old City's major landmark and the spiritual hub of the Bazaar Dis-
trict. Though not the largest of the city's Ottoman-era mosques, it is unusual in that many
of its original
külliye
(mosque complex) buildings have been retained and sympathetically
adapted for re-use.
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Don't Miss
Minarets
The four minarets with their 10 beautiful
şerefes
(balconies) are said to represent the fact
that Süleyman was the fourth of the Ottoman sultans to rule the city and the 10th sultan
after the establishment of the empire.
Interior
The mosque's architect, Mimar Sinan, incorporated four buttresses into the walls of the
building - the result is open, airy and highly reminiscent of Aya Sofya, especially as the
dome is nearly as large as the one crowning the great Byzantine basilica. Also notable is
the
mihrab
(prayer niche indicating the direction of Mecca), which is decorated with fine
İznik tiles.
Tombs
To the right (southeast) of the main entrance is the cemetery, home to the
türbes
(tombs) of
Süleyman and his wife Haseki Hürrem Sultan (Roxelana). The tilework in both is superb,
as is the stained glass in Roxelana's tomb.
