SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE
A beauty outstanding even among all those domes and minarets that define the skyline of
Istanbul,the Suleymaniye Mosque is the largest and most in the city.It facinates
every visitor with the aesthetic supremancy of its interior and exterior,and its
harmonious and pleasant proportions.By all standards,the Suleymaniye Mosque is
an architectural masterpiece.
In the 16th century,the Ottoman Empire was at its peak and the zenith of the century is
the forty-sevenyear reign (the longest ever in the Ottoman Empire) of Sultan
Suleyman the Magnifient.The great sultan had recrutited the famous Turkish
architect SINAN to plan and build a mosque bearing his own name.SINAN, a genius
of the world of architecture and the founder/benefactor of the Turkish classical
school of architecture,completed the huge mosque complex that also included
schools,a library,a Turkish bath,a public kitchen, a caravanserai,a hospital and
shops.It was built between the years 1550 and 1557,thus proving that he indeed
deserved the title of ‘’Great’’ that was granted to him.
On has to stand at a distance to appreciate fully the exterior beauty of the Suleymaniye
Mosque.The best site for this is Goldon Horn,especially the Galata Tower.The
nave of the four-minaret imperial mosque is covered by a huge dome.The main
entrance to the mosque is reached by passing through an inner courtyard with a
symbolic ablution fountain at the center and porticoes on all sides.The
spaciousness and unity of the nave of the mosque and the rather subtle
decoration of the interior walls all contribute to an aura of dignified grandeur.The
central cupola,53m. High at the keystone and 26,50m.
In diameter is supported by
four pendentives on four pillars.All the architectural elements consitituting
the dome are in proper harmony.The static balance,too, is perfect.The numerous
earthquakes that shook the 15the century did not cause even a single crack.The
iner surface of the dome is decorated with baroque painting from the 19th
century.The handmade carpet on the nave is new having been given to the mosque
in the 1960’s.The most eye-catching element of the interior decor is the
original stained-glass Windows of Turkish motifs on the wall of the mihrab (prayer
niche).The incospicuous little chanter’s balcony is at the front of pulpit.The
walls around the minber (pulpit) near the mihrab are decorated with beautiful ceramic tiles.The Sultan’s Box is to the left of the
mihrab.The walls of the mosque adorned with verses from the KORAN are regarded
as ultimate in the Turkish art of calligraphy.Along the walls of the mosque,with
the exception of southern wall,there are balconies for women.
The brass gril to the right of the entrance is a typical example of 18the century craftsman ship.Inthe
forecourt of mosque,the tombs of Sultan Suleyman and Roxelane,his favourite wife,lie
side by side.And at one corner of the Suleymaniye Complex,there is a smal and
humble grave where rests SINAN the Great,the gandmaster of Turkish architecture
who spent fifty years of his ninet-nine years as the chief architect of powerful
empire.
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