Süleymaniye Mosque
Mimar Sinan · Istanbul, Turkey · 1557
Mimar Sinan’s Süleymaniye Mosque crowns one of Istanbul’s historic hills with a tightly composed complex of prayer hall, courtyards, schools and charitable functions. The central dome is supported by semi-domes and massive piers but the interior reads as a remarkably continuous luminous volume. Exterior terraces and subsidiary buildings bind the mosque to the city’s topography rather than isolating it as a single object. Completed in 1557 for Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, the complex is among the clearest expressions of mature Ottoman imperial architecture and Sinan’s mastery of structure, proportion and urban setting.