Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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 worshippers ri-
valling the Blue and New Mosques in number.
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
şerefes
(balconies) are said to represent the fact that Süleyman was the fourth of
the Osmanlı sultans to rule the city and the 10th sultan after the establishment of the em-
pire.
In the garden behind the mosque is a
terrace
offering lovely views of the Golden Horn.
The street underneath once housed the
külliye's arasta
(row of shops), which was built in-
to 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 incor-
porated the four buttresses into the walls of the building - the result is wonderfully 'trans-
parent' (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.
There is little interior decoration other than some very fine İznik tiles in the
mihrab
(niche in a minaret indicating the direction of Mecca), window shutters inlaid with
mother-of-pearl, gorgeous stained glass windows done by one İbrahim the Drunkard, and
four massive columns - one from Baalbek in modern-day Lebanon, one from Alexandria
and two from Byzantine palaces in İstanbul. The painted arabesques on the dome are
19th-century additions.
The Külliye
Süleyman specified that his mosque should have the full complement of public services:
imaret
(soup kitchen),
medrese
(Islamic school of higher studies), hamam, caravanserai,
darüşşifa
(hospital) etc. Today the
imaret
, with its charming garden courtyard, houses the
Dârüzziyafe Restaurant and is a lovely place to enjoy a çay. On its right-hand side (north)
is a
caravanserai
that was being restored at the time of writing. On its left-hand side
(south) is Lale Bahçesi, a tea garden set in a sunken courtyard where the the hospital was
once located. This is an atmospheric venue for çay and nargile.
The main entrance to the mosque is accessed via Prof Sıddık Sami Onar Caddesi,
formerly known as
Tiryaki Çarşışı
(Market of the Addicts). The buildings here once
housed three
medreses
and a primary school; they're now home to the Süleymaniye
