Mimar Sinan - Architect
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When speaking of Ottoman architecture, the most important person in Turkish history is Mimar Sinan (1490-1588). He was an architect who grew up in the most splendid period of the Ottoman Empire. He was born around 1490 in Kayseri as the son of a Christian mason. In 1521 he enrolled in the Janissary Corps, an elite wing of the Ottoman army whose members were all taken from Christian families converted to Islam and trained to fight for the Sultan. Sinan was taught the trade of carpentry, at which he clearly excelled. He led an active military career. During his travels for military purposes he must have seen good examples of the architecture of several civilizations, For nearly fifty years, he worked as chief architect with a large team of assistants consisting of architects and master builders.
In the course of his long career Sinan built 84 mosques, 51 mescit (small mosques) 3 hospitals, 57 medrese (theological schools), 7 schools for Koran reciting, 22 türbe (mausoleums) 17 imaret (alms houses) 7 aqueducts and arches, 48 Caravansaries, 35 palaces and mansions, 8 vaults and 46 bath across the Ottoman Empire, from Buda to Mecca, from Sofia to Damascus. He excelled not only in the arts but also applied his skills and techniques to city planning. Keeping in mind that there is nothing more natural than a monument harmonizing with the environment, he built huge mosques in the most suitable places so that they could be viewed in all their magnificence.
The development and maturing stages of Sinan are marked by three major works. The first two of these are in Istanbul – Şehzade Mosque which he called his apprenticeship period work, Süleymaniye Mosque which is the work of his qualification stage, and Selimiye Mosque in Edirne which is the result of his master stage.
Süleymaniye Mosque, built for and named after Sultan Süleyman, the Magnificent, is situated on one of the seven hills of Istanbul facing the Golden Horn. On the street to the left of the mosque are the primary school and medrese of the complex, which are now Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi (Sülemyaniye Library) The magnificence of the mosque is clearly reflected in its architecture, in the fine portal gates, carved marble mihrab (niche) and mimber (pulpit), and even in the carpets, chandeliers and bronze candlesticks.
Selimiye mosque complex, his crowning glory, brings together all the characteristics of Sinan's designs. This awesome building is a miracle of lightness and elegance. Dominated by a high dome, which sits on eight pillars, the mosque is flanked by four slender minarets reaching a height of 70.89 meters.
For his mosques, Sinan adopted the design of Haghia Sophia to create a building in which the central dome would appear weightless and in which the interior surfaces would appear bathed in light.
The mausoleums and bridges built by Sinan are immediately distinguishable as his own. The mausoleum of Sehzade Mehmed attracts attention with its exterior decorations and sliced dome. Rüstem Pasa mausoleum is a very attractive structure built in the classical style. The mausoleum of Sultan Süleyman, the Magnificent, which is one of his most interesting experimens has an octagonal body and flat dome Sinan's own mausoleum which is located at the north-east part of the Süleymaniye complex, is a very plain structure.
Sinan combined art with functionalism masterfully in the bridges he built. The Büyükçekmece Bridge in Istanbul is the largest of his work in this group and it is nearly 635 meters length. Silivri Bridge (Istanbul), Sokullu Mehmet Paşa Bridge (over Lüleburgaz River), Sinanlı Bridge (over Ergene River) and Drina Bridge, (the name of the famous novel written by Yugoslav author Ivo Andriç) are all to his credit.
In conclusion, Sinan was the greatest of all Ottoman architects, and his career
spanned fifty years. He died in Istanbul, in 1588.
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