Suleymaniye Mosque
Suleymaniye Mosque, the construction of which was started in 1550, was completed in 1557. It was built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, to Mimar Sinan. Freelance workers, prisoners, and novice boys worked on the construction of the mosque, which was directly followed by the Sultan. The Suleymaniye Mosque was used not only for worship purposes. At the same time, almost all social services such as education, social assistance, and health care were provided at the Suleymaniye Mosque. People were able to easily get together and satisfy their needs. The Suleymaniye Mosque, the unique work of Mimar Sinan and Kanuni, has been standing upright for hundreds of years with all its splendor. The mosque, which Mimar Sinan calls “My Journeyman Work”, is at the peak of both science and art. This unique mosque, which surprises us with its aesthetics, elegance, and unique techniques, is waiting for your visit in your Istanbul tour preferences.
The Fascinating Story and Secrets of the Suleymaniye
Mosque
Kanuni wants to build a mosque in Istanbul, but he can't
decide where to do it. Kanuni saw a dream. In his dream, the Prophet Muhammad
takes him to a hill overlooking the Golden Horn and tells him to build a mosque
there. It also shows the location of the “Mihrab” and “Mimbar”. When Kanuni
wakes up, he immediately invites Mimar Sinan to him, and together they go to
the hill he saw in his dream. Kanuni says that he should build the mosque here,
Mimar Sinan enters the conversation and says, “The mihrab is here and the minbar
is here, My Sultan”. Kanuni is surprised and Mimar Sinan continues his words,
saying, “My Sultan, I was one step behind you in your dream”. After that, the
construction of the mosque begins.
The construction of the Suleymaniye Mosque took 7 years.
Kanuni, who wants the construction to be completed immediately, visits the
mosque one day. He gets angry when he sees Mimar Sinan sitting in the middle of
the mosque smoking a hookah, but when he approaches, he realizes that it is a
water hookah. With this water hookah, Mimar Sinan tries to adjust the acoustics
of the mosque. To ensure that the imam’s voice is spread evenly throughout, he
uses a hookah bubbling sound. Mimar Sinan tried to make a perfect sound setting
by placing hollow giant pickle cubes around the mosque. Thanks to this acoustic
adjustment, the imam's voice stays in the air for exactly 3,5 seconds. This is
a tremendous success both at that time and under the conditions of our day.
Despite the rather difficult conditions of the period, master Mimar Sinan still
left behind a smoothly functioning work.
During this period, when there was no electricity, mosque
lighting was provided with oil lamps. To protect this mosque, which is
illuminated by 275 lamps, Mimar Sinan also built the air corridors. Thanks to
this corridor that he built, the air can be cleaned from the carbon black.
According to what is known, the highest quality ink in the world was produced
at this carbon black. Visiting the thousand-minaret Suleymaniye Mosque, which
is waiting for you with all its elegance and aesthetics, you should both see
this atmosphere and witness the history.