What you need to know about the Suleymaniye Mosque, the power symbol of an era

Suleymaniye Mosque, where the power of Suleiman the Magnificent and the genius of Mimar Sinan embodied, has stood like a seal in the heart of Istanbul for 462 years. Here's what you need to know about the Suleymaniye Mosque...

The Süleymaniye Complex, where the power of the 10th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman the Magnificent, and the genius of Mimar Sinan embodied, has been maintaining its splendor for 462 years.


HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO BUILD?
The construction of the complex, which is the most iconic structure and location of the empire and the most beautiful part of Istanbul's silhouette, started in 1550. The Süleymaniye Complex was completed in 7 years with materials brought from various parts of the imperial lands.
According to the historian Peçevi, 896 thousand 360 gold coins and 82 thousand 900 coins, in other words about 3200 kilograms of gold, were spent on the construction of the complex. During the construction of the complex, which took 7 years, a total of 3,523 workers, 1,713 of whom were Muslims, worked.
In the complex, where the number of daily workers reached 2,000 during the summer months, the staff of the Hassa Architects Association, novices, members of other Kapıkulu quarries, and paid masters, workers and slaves from all over the empire served.
Mimar Sinan opened the complex on October 15, 1557, with the key given by Suleiman the Magnificent, saying "Ya Fettah" with prayers at a ceremony attended by the dignitaries of the state.

THE KÜLLİYE CONSISTS OF 15 SECTIONS
The complex consists of 15 sections, including the mosque, Rabi Madrasa, Salis Madrasa, Evvel Madrasa, Sani Madrasa, Medicine Madrasa, Suleiman the Magnificent, Hürrem Sultan Tomb, tomb room, hospital, darüzziyafe, Darülhadis Madrasa, tabhane, Mimar Sinan Tomb and Turkish bath. .

Undoubtedly, the most important part of the complex is the Süleymaniye Mosque, where majesty and elegance come together.
As with the other works of Mimar Sinan, the Süleymaniye Mosque is one of the temples that has been able to transform simplicity into splendor.
The ornaments and decorations used in the inscriptions of the mosque are aesthetic wonders in themselves.
On the windows on both sides of the mihrab, the Surah of Conquest is written on the tile medallions, and the Surah Nur is written on the main dome of the mosque. The inscriptions in the mosque were written by the famous calligrapher Ahmed Karahisari Şemseddin Efendi and his student Hasan Çelebi. Later, Kazasker Mustafa Efendi also added some articles.

WHY 4 MINERALS?
4 elephant feet, each weighing approximately 30 tons and dedicated to four caliphs, carry the dome of the mosque with a diameter of 26.50 meters and a height of 53 meters.
The four minarets symbolize that Suleiman the Magnificent was the 10th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and the ten balconies after the conquest of Istanbul.

"SINAN IMPLEMENTED ITS OWN TECHNIQUE"