The Royal Architect Sinan (1490–1588)
Sinan (1490–1588) was the most celebrated of all Ottoman architects and held the
position of chief court architect (mimarbaşi) of the Ottoman Empire from 1539–1588 at
the height of Ottoman power under Süleyman I (r. 1520–1566) and Selim II (r. 1566–
1574). He designed and built a record 476 buildings, including mosques, palaces,
madrasas, tombs, caravansaries, public baths, poorhouses, granaries, aqueducts,
hospitals, and fountains. As the chief court architect, he designed religious and civil
structures and supervised construction throughout the empire. It is most likely with all
these responsibilities that he could not have actually designed and supervised all the
buildings that are attributed to him, but as the chief court architect, he is given credit for
all works constructed while he held the position. His office provided plans and models
for buildings throughout the empire, which architectural officials and his pupils, with the
help of local builders, executed in brick or stone. These provincial works are of varying
quality.
In his spare time, Sinan also designed buildings for important officials. Mosques and
other buildings designed and built by Sinan established the basic themes that were
followed in later Ottoman religious and civic architecture. Few of the civil structures he
built have survived, and he is most famous for the Şehzade and Süleymaniye mosques
in Istanbul and the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne. Each of these mosques is representative
of the three phases into which Sinan’s career is usually divided.
Exterior and interior of the Şehzade Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey, 1545–1548
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3.0 Unported license. It is attributed to Wikimedia user Ondřej Žváček. The original version can be found
here. Right image: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 Generic license.
It is attributed to Oscar J. Marianez. The original version can be found here.
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Sinan’s first important commission as chief court architect was the Şehzade Mosque,
commissioned by Süleyman I in memory of his son, which was completed in 1548. Like
many of the mosques Sinan built, the Şehzade Mosque has a square base, upon which
rests a large central dome flanked by four half domes and numerous smaller subsidiary
domes. This plan was unprecedented in earlier Islamic architecture, and the mosque’s
conceptually coherent modular interior stands in sharp contrast to earlier Ottoman
buildings. Sinan also introduced more elaborate arcades on the side façades of the
building. These arcades and the piers of the interior wall replaced the massive walls
used in earlier Ottoman architecture, creating stunning spatial and luminal juxtapositions.
Exterior and interior of the Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey, 1550–1557
Terms of Use: Left image: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike
2.5 Generic license. It is attributed to Giovanni Dall’Orto. The original version can be found here. Right
image: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
It is attributed to Wikimedia user Ggia. The original version can be found here.
Over his career, the proportional systems Sinan used became ever more complex, with
the simple mathematics of the Şehzade Mosque developing into the complicated
geometries of the Süleymaniye and Selimiye mosques. Construction on the
Süleymaniye Mosque, which was based on the design of the Hagia Sophia, began a
few years later in 1550. This impressive complex includes four madrasas, a large
hospital, a medical school, a kitchen/refractory, baths, shops, and stables. The
Süleymaniye Mosque was one of the largest congregational mosques in the Ottoman
Empire and is famous for its massive central dome that is pierced by 32 openings,
giving the dome the effect of lightness while also illuminating the mosque’s interior.
Many scholars consider the Süleymaniye Mosque to be Sinan’s greatest masterwork.
Please make sure to take the virtual tour of this impressive complex that appears under
this subunit.
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Exterior and interior of the Selimiye Mosque, Erdine, Turkey, 1568–1574
Terms of Use: Left image: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike
3.0 Unported license. It is attributed to Wikimedia user Ankara. The original version can be found here.
Right image: is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. It is
attributed to Wikimedia user Darwinek. The original version can be found here.
However, the Selimiye Mosque, built and designed for Selim II, was considered by
Sinan to be his greatest work. Its great central dome at 31.28 meters (102.6 feet) is
intentionally higher than that of the Hagia Sophia.1 It rises on eight massive
dodecahedral2 piers, optimizing the domed space with arcades that flood the interior
with light. Sinan also placed semidomes over the four corners, transforming its
octagonal structure into a rectangular prayer hall below. Under the top of the dome, a
platform for the muezzins supported by 12 marble columns 2 meters (6.7 feet) high also
accentuates the centralized nature of the mosque’s interior. The Selimiye Mosque’s four
minarets, at 70.89 meters (232.6 feet) tall, are the highest in Turkey, emphasizing the
verticality of the structure that perches on a hilltop overlooking the city of Erdine.
1
The dome itself is higher than the dome of the Hagia Sophia, but the Hagia Sophia is 12 meters (39.3
feet) higher from its floor to the apex of its dome than the Selimiye Mosque.
2
A dodecahedron is a 12-sided polyhedron.
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