Suleymaniye Mosque The Süleymaniye Mosque, crafted by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan under the patronage of Sultan Süleyman, was built between 1550 and 1557. Over the centuries, it endured various calamities, including severe destruction during the Great Fire of 1660 and the powerful earthquake of 1766. Although Sultan Mehmed IV initiated restoration work, a ceiling collapse during the repairs damaged Sinan’s original interior design. A comprehensive restoration of the mosque was finally carried out in 1956. The mosque spans 59 meters in length and 58 meters in width, with its central dome supported by semi-domes on both sides. Massive porphyry monoliths uphold the northern and southern arches, which are adorned with tympanum-style windows. Sinan cleverly included buttresses in his architectural plan, which he connected to the mosque’s walls and concealed using two-level colonnaded arcades both inside and outside. Despite the many disasters it has endured, the Süleymaniye Mosque still stands as a remarkable symbol of Istanbul's architectural heritage. Commissioned by Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, the Süleymaniye Mosque stands as a masterpiece of Ottoman architectural design. It was created by the legendary imperial architect Mimar Sinan and completed in 1557. Although it suffered considerable damage from various events, including a fire during World War I, it underwent a complete restoration in 1956. The mosque's interior showcases a refined and balanced aesthetic. Stained-glass windows are featured only on the qibla wall, while the exquisite Iznik tile panels are limited to the area surrounding the mihrab. These rectangular tiles display delicate floral motifs on a white base, with dominant hues of blue, turquoise, red, and black, notably excluding green. Flanking the mihrab are large ceramic panels inscribed with verses from Surah Al-Fatiha. The mihrab and minbar, crafted from marble and adorned with white mother-of-pearl, display a minimalist elegance. The wooden details are equally modest, featuring light embellishments with ivory and mother-of-pearl inlays. Designed as a külliye—a multifunctional complex to meet spiritual and social needs—the Süleymaniye Mosque originally included a wide array of facilities. These comprised a hospital (darüşşifa), a primary school, public baths (hamam), a caravanserai, four madrasas for Qur'anic education, a dedicated hadith school, a medical school, and a communal kitchen serving meals to the poor. While some of these structures remain functional today—for instance, the former soup kitchen now operates as a popular restaurant—the old hospital has been repurposed as a printing facility owned by the Turkish Armed Forces. If you have any questions or would like more information about the Süleymaniye Mosque, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or simply send us a message on WhatsApp, and we’ll get back to you promptly.