27
October, Istanbul
Haci Mimi
Apartment 53TL
Commissioned by Sϋleyman the Magnificent
in the mid-1550s, the Sϋleymaniye Camii (mosque) was designed by Mimar Sinan,
considered the most talented of the Ottoman imperial architects. “Sinan died
aged 98, having built 131 mosques and 200 other buildings. He was born a
Christian and later converted to Islam.” The Byzantine church, Hagia Sophia, converted
following the conquest to a mosque, had been an inspiration and challenge to
Ottoman architects for 1,000 years. With the Sϋleymaniye’s enormous dome and
open space, Sinan finally matched the magnificence of the bigger church. The Sϋleymaniye
was built on the third of Istanbul’s seven hills. Wikipedia: “... four minarets, a number only
allowable to mosques endowed by a sultan ... have a total of 10 galleries ... indicat[ing]
that Sϋleyman was the 10th Ottoman sultan”. Columns in the courtyard are of marble,
granite and porphyry. Four red granite columns inside the mosque “were brought –
with considerable difficulty – from Alexandria, Baalbek, and Constantinople.
Sinan’s original plan called for eight such columns, but after two sank en
route from Alexandria, the number was scaled down to four, with white marble
used for the other four...” The stained glass windows were by glazier Sarhoş Ibrahim,
dubbed Ibrahim the Drunkard for reasons I cannot source. While we were
impressed by this impressive structure, it is not as appealing as some of
Istanbul’s smaller mosques. A cold, drizzly day. Winter has arrived in
Istanbul. Soup and bread for dinner at home.
Sϋleymaniye Camii (mosque)
Sϋleyman the Magnificent tomb
Sϋleymaniye Camii (mosque)
Sϋleymaniye Camii (mosque)
Sϋleymaniye Camii (mosque)
Sϋleymaniye Camii (mosque)
Sϋleymaniye Camii (mosque)
Sϋleymaniye Camii (mosque)