Süleymaniye Mosque is a mosque built by Mimar Sinan in Istanbul between 1550-1557 on behalf of Suleiman the Magnificent. The mosque is one of the most notable examples of Classical Ottoman Architecture and one of Mimar Sinan's masterpieces.
Süleymaniye Mosque was designed as a külliye or complex, which consists of madrasahs, a library, a hospital, a school, a Turkish bath, a kitchen, and shops. The complex is Istanbul's second-largest complex after the Fatih Complex and was built on the highest hill in the middle of the Istanbul peninsula, overlooking the Golden Horn, Marmara Sea, Topkapı Palace, and the Bosphorus. The mosque has four minarets and ten minaret balconies. Some assert that the reason for this is Suleyman is the fourth sultan after the conquest of Istanbul and is the tenth Ottoman Sultan.
The concept of Süleymaniye plays with Suleyman's deliberate portrayal as a second Solomon. Süleymaniye's design references the Dome of the Rock, which was built on the site of the Temple of Solomon. Also, many people compare Süleymaniye with Hagia Sophia, a former cathedral which Justinian boasted upon its construction: "O Solomon, I have surpassed thee!".
Today, Süleymaniye Complex is one of the most visited attraction points of Istanbul because of the popularity of a Turkish TV show called Muhtesem Yüzyil, which depicts the life of Suleiman the Magnificient. The complex also houses the tombs of Suleiman and his wife, Hurrem Sultan.
Its construction started in 1550 and finished in 1557.
Mimar Sinan.
Suleiman the Magnificient and his wife, Hurrem Sultan.
Millions of people visit the Süleymaniye Mosque every year.
Dome of the Rock and Hagia Sophia.