istanbul - C2C

60
The next spot is easy to visit, as the minarets of
Süleymaniye Mosque can be seen everywhere.
After climbing a steep hill, you can arrive at the
walls surrounding the mosque. If you just follow
the walls you will shortly arrive at one of the
courtyard gates.
The whole district is named after the mosque.
Designed and built between 1550 and 1557 by
Mimar Sinan, the master architect of the Ottoman
Period, the Süleymaniye Mosque and Complex
was devoted to Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent,
who was also known as ‘the Lawgiver’. The
mosque indeed befitted the magnificence of
Sultan Süleyman, and it was built on one of the
seven hills of İstanbul. The Mosque is the most
monumental masterpiece built by Mimar Sinan
in İstanbul. Its monumental nature was to glorify
the memory of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent.
It was also one of the works that ranked him
among the greatest architects of the city. Mimar
Sinan referred to Süleymaniye as ‘the work
of my craftsmanship’ and despite its glorious
dimensions, it has fairly simple characteristics.
Some consider that it was due to the Sultan’s
modesty, while others argue that Mimar Sinan
designed it so that the architectural features of
the building showed themselves without being
clouded by decorative elements. Apart from
a tile-clad Mihrab, the whole internal space is
rather plain.
The interesting aspects of the mosque require
some exploration. For example, if you wonder