Architect and engineer · Ottoman Empire · c. 1488-1588
Mimar Sinan Biography, Buildings and Best Books
Chief architect of the Ottoman Empire (c. 1488-1588) under three sultans, author of the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul and the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne.
Photo: Hunanuk, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Biography
Mimar Sinan (about 1488-1588) was the chief architect of the Ottoman Empire for almost fifty years, serving Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II and Murad III. He designed or supervised hundreds of mosques, schools, baths, bridges and caravanserais, and in the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul and the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne he perfected the great central dome.
From Kayseri to the Janissaries
Sinan was born around 1488 in Ağırnas, near Kayseri in Anatolia, and was recruited into the Ottoman service through the devshirme system. As a Janissary military engineer he built bridges and boats on campaigns in Europe and Persia.
Chief royal architect
In 1538 he became chief royal architect. His Şehzade Mosque (1543-1548) refined the central-dome plan, and the Süleymaniye Mosque (1550-1557), with its complex of schools, hospital, baths and tombs, crowned the hills of Istanbul.
The Selimiye and his legacy
In his eighties he built the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne (1568-1575), whose dome rests on eight piers above a unified prayer hall and which he called his masterpiece. He died in Istanbul in 1588 and is buried in a tomb he designed near the Süleymaniye. The Selimiye is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire
Gülru Necipoğlu’s major study of Sinan’s mosques and the culture that shaped them.
View on AmazonLooking for a shorter introduction? Sinan: Architect of Süleyman the Magnificent (144 pages).
Timeline
- 1488Born around this year in Ağırnas, near Kayseri.
- 1538Becomes chief royal architect of the Ottoman Empire.
- 1548Şehzade Mosque, Istanbul, is completed.
- 1557Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, is completed.
- 1575Selimiye Mosque, Edirne, is completed.
- 1588Dies on 17 July in Istanbul.
Best Books on Mimar Sinan
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mimar Sinan known for?
Mimar Sinan is known for the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne and hundreds of mosques, bridges and public buildings across the Ottoman Empire.
What does Mimar mean?
Mimar means architect in Turkish; Sinan is known by his title as the chief architect of the empire.
What did Sinan consider his masterpiece?
The Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, completed in 1575, which he described as his masterwork.
What is the best book on Sinan?
Sinan: Architect of Süleyman the Magnificent (Thames & Hudson) is an illustrated introduction; The Age of Sinan by Gülru Necipoğlu (Reaktion) is the major scholarly study.
