Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul

About the mosque

The mosque was built by order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and includes 4 minarets with 10 balconies on them. It is believed that the ruler wanted to express by the number of minarets that he was the 4th sultan after the conquest of Constantinople, and by the balconies — the tenth Ottoman ruler.

The entrance to the mosque passes through a majestic courtyard with marble and granite columns with a central fountain.

Suleymaniye is a mosque and a complex of public buildings and includes: a higher educational institution, four secondary schools (madrasahs), a madrasah of medical sciences and a hospital, an elementary school, a dormitory for students, a hammam, a library, an imaret and a tomb where Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roksolana rest.

Sinan's Best Creation

One of the best works of the famous architect Mimar Sinan, based on which he was inspired by the Hagia Sophia Mosque, but made many of his own decisions, making the mosque unique.

Accuracy of calculations

The main dome is placed in the same way as in Hagia Sophia - on two semi-domes, however, it has a slightly lower height (53 meters) and diameter (27.5 m), and the number of windows (32 windows).

The entire structure was made based on calculations of air flows, which were supposed to ventilate the room, removing soot from oil lamps into a separate room. Subsequently, this soot became indelible ink for all political, administrative and religious decrees of that time.

Technologies

Tunnels are stretched under the mosque, which are connected to external water tanks. The air from these tunnels is supplied to the mosque according to the principle of recuperation, heating it in winter and cooling it in summer.

The mosque is an example of the splendor and precision of Ottoman architecture.

Panorama of the city

The courtyard of the Suleymaniye Mosque offers a magnificent view of the city. Make sure to take some photos.

Working hours

The mosque is open to tourists from 09:00 to 18:00

How to get

It is always easier to get to the mosque by metro to the Vesneciler station, from where you can go straight to the mosque along the slope.

There are many other ways, but it is best to use the navigator and set a route in advance: the whole point is in a large number of alleys in which you can easily get confused, and dense buildings will not allow you to see the mosque as a landmark.