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The Süleymaniye is the second largest but by far the finest and most magnificent of the imperial mosque complexes in the city. It is a fitting monument to its founder, Süleyman the Magnificent, and a masterwork of the greatest of Ottoman architects, the incomparable Sinan. The mosque itself, the largest of Sinan’s works, is perhaps inferior in perfection of design to that master’s Selimiye at Edirne, but it is incontestably the most important Ottoman building in Istanbul. For four and a half centuries it has attracted the wonder and enthusiasm of all travellers to the city.
The construction of the Süleymaniye began in 1550 and the mosque itself was completed in 1557, but it was some years later before all the buildings of the külliye were finished. The mosque stands in the centre of a vast outer courtyard surrounded on three sides by a wall with grilled windows. On the north side, where the land slopes sharply down towards the Golden Horn, the courtyard is supported by an elaborate vaulted substructure; from the terrace here one has a superb view of the Golden Horn, the hills of Pera on the other side, the Bosphorus, and the hills of Asia beyond. Around this courtyard on three sides are arranged the other buildings of the külliye with as much symmetry as the nature of the site would permit. Nearly all of these pious foundations have been well-restored and some of them are once again serving the people of Istanbul as they did in the days of Süleyman. We will later look at all of those which are presently open to the public, but first let us visit the great mosque itself.
THE MOSQUE
The mosque is preceded by the usual avlu, a porticoed courtyard of exceptional grandeur, with columns of the richest porphyry, marble and granite. The western portal of the court is flanked by a great pylon containing two stories of chambers; these, according to Evliya, were the muvakkithane, the house and workshop of the mosque astronomer. At the four corners of the courtyard rise the four great minarets. These four minarets are traditionally said to represent the fact that Süleyman was the fourth sultan to reign in Istanbul, while the ten şerefes or balconies denote that he was the tenth sultan of the imperial line of Osman.
Entering the mosque we find ourselves in a vast almost square room surmounted by a dome. The interior is approximately 58.5 by 57.5 metres, while the diameter of the dome is 27.5 metres and the height of its crown above the floor is 47 metres. To east and west the dome is supported by semidomes, to north and south by arches with tympana filled with windows. The dome-arches rise from four great irregularly shaped piers. Up to this point the plan follows that of Haghia Sophia, but beyond this – as at the Beyazidive – all is different. Between the piers to north and south, triple arcades on two enormous monolithic columns support the tympana of the arches. There are no galleries here, nor can there properly be said to be aisles, since the great columns are so high and so far apart as not really to form a barrier between the central area and the walls; thus the immense space is not cut up into sections as at Haghia Sophia but is centralized and continuous. The method Sinan used to mask the huge buttresses required to support the four central piers is very ingenious: he has turned what is generally a liability in such a building into an asset, on three sides at least. On the north and south he incorporated the buttresses into the walls of the building, allowing them to project about equally within and without. He then proceeded to mask this projection on both sides by building galleries with arcades of columns between the buttresses. On the outside the gallery is double, with twice the number of columns in its upper storey as in its lower; on the inside there is a single gallery only. In both cases – especially on the outside – the device is extremely successful, and is indeed one of the things which gives the exterior its interesting and beautiful distinction. On the east and west façades the buttresses are smaller, for here the weight of the dome is distributed by the semidomes. On the eastern face, therefore, Sinan merely placed the buttresses wholly outside the building, where their moderate projection gives emphasis and variety to that façade. On the west, in our opinion, he was not so successful. Here, in order to preserve the unity of the courtyard and the grandeur of the western façade, he chose to place the buttresses wholly within the building. Again he masked them with galleries, but in this case the device was inadequate. The great west portal, instead of being impressive as it ought, seems squeezed tight by the deep projection of the buttresses, which moreover not only throw it into impenetrable shadow, but also abut in an unpleasing way on the two small domes on which the western semidome reposes. It can be said that Sinan rarely quite succeeded with the interior of his west walls; in almost every case, even in the smaller mosques, there is a tendency to squeeze the portal. But his solution of the main problem was masterly.
The general effect of the interior is of a severely simple grandeur. The east wall only is enlivened by some touches of colour; here the lovely stained-glass windows are by the glazier known as Sarhoş (the Drunkard) Ibrahim; the tiles, used with great restraint, are the earliest known examples of the new techniques of the Iznik kilns, leaf and flower motifs in turquoise, deep blue and red on a pure white ground. The mihrab and mimber in Proconnesian marble are of great simplicity and distinction, as is also the woodwork, inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl, of the doors, window shutters and the kürsü, or preacher’s chair. Throughout the building the inscriptions are by the most famous of Ottoman calligraphers, Ahmet Karahisarı, and his pupil Hasan Çelebi.
THE TÜRBES OF SÜLEYMAN AND HASEKİ HÜRREM
Leaving by the north door of the mosque, we find ourselves on the terrace overlooking the Golden Horn. Turning right, we walk around the mosque so as to enter the walled garden behind it, where stand the türbes of Süleyman and Haseki Hürrem. Süleyman’s, as is fitting, is the largest and grandest of Sinan’s türbes, although not quite the most beautiful. Octagonal in form, it is surrounded by a pretty porch on columns. This türbe, like those at Haghia Sophia and elsewhere, has a double dome, with the inner dome supported by columns in the interior. This inner dome preserves its gorgeous painting in wine-red, black and gold. The walls of the interior are covered with Iznik tiles, twice as many in this small room as in all the vastness of the mosque itself. However, the grand effect has been marred, for the türbe is dark and overcrowded with cenotaphs; besides that of Süleyman there are also those of his daughter, the Princess Mihrimah, and two later sultans, Süleyman II and Ahmet II. But there is no mistaking the majesty of the magnificent sultan’s own cenotaph in the centre of the türbe, surmounted by the huge white turban which he wore in life.
We might pause here for a moment to reflect on the history of this great monarch, under whom the Ottoman Empire reached the pinnacle of its greatness. Süleyman became sultan in 1520, when he was 25 years old, and ruled until his death in 1566, the longest and most illustrious reign in the history of the Empire. As Evliya Çelebi writes of Süleyman: “During the forty-six years of his reign he subdued the world and made eighteen monarchs his tributaries. He established order and justice in his dominions, marched victoriously through the seven quarters of the globe, embellished all the countries which were vanquished with his arms, and was successful in all undertakings.”
To the east of Süleyman’s türbe is that of Haseki Hürrem, smaller and simpler but decorated with Iznik tiles even finer than his. In this türbe the cylindrical base of the dome, slightly recessed from the octagonal cornice of the building itself, is decorated with a long inscription forming a sort of sculptured frieze. This and the türbe of the princes at the mosque of Selim I are the only ones where this form and these decorations are used. For some reason this türbe is not included in the Tezkere, the list of Sinan’s works, but it is almost certainly his creation. The türbe is dated 1558, the year of Haseki Hürrem’s death. Here, too, we might pause to review the life of the lady who is buried here, one of the most powerful and sinister women in the history of the Ottoman Empire. She is better known to the West as Roxelana, literally the Russian, because of her supposed origin. Süleyman fell in love with Roxelana during the early years of his reign and soon made her his legal wife, putting aside all of the other women in his harem. The Italian Bassano, a page in the Saray at the time, wrote of Süleyman: “He bears her such love and keeps such faith in her that all his subjects marvel and say that she has bewitched him, and they call her Cadi, or the Witch.” The power of Roxelana over Süleyman grew so great that she eventually persuaded him to kill his eldest son, Mustafa, on the pretext that the Prince was plotting against his father. In this way Roxelana’s own son, Selim the Sot, succeeded to the throne after the death of Süleyman. Historians consider this to be the turning-point in the history of the Ottomans, for with the alcoholic reign of Selim the Sot began the long and almost uninterrupted decline of the Empire.
THE DAR-ÜL HADİS
Farther east along the north terrace and beyond the wall of the türbe garden stands the dar-ül hadis, or school of tradition, which runs off at an angle to the line of the terrace, following the direction of the street below. This is a medrese of most unusual form. It consists of 22 cells arrayed in a long straight line rather than around a courtyard; opposite them is a plain wall with grilled openings enclosing a long narrow garden. At the end of the line of cells nearest the mosque, a staircase leads up to a sort of open loggia above, which appears to have served as the dershane – for summer use, evidently, for it would have been too cold in winter. This unique building has, regrettably, been very badly restored so that an effect which must have been quite charming has been all but ruined.
From the outer edge of the terrace we can look down onto the street which borders the north wall of the outer precinct. This was once an attractive arasta, or market street, with shops built into the retaining wall of the terrace and also opposite. These shops have recently been restored and are once serving the purpose for which they were originally designed.
THE SALİS AND RABİ MEDRESES
Just across the street we see two medreses of the Süleymaniye külliyesi. They are presently closed to the public and can perhaps best be viewed from the terrace. These are by far the most elaborate, original and picturesque of all Sinan’s medreses. The one to the west, farther on down the street, is called Salis (Third), while the eastern one is known as Rabi (Fourth). These two medreses form a group with a pair which stand opposite to them on the southern side of the külliye; these are called Evvel (First) and Sani (Second); they were colleges in the four orthodox schools of Islamic law. There is still another medrese, the Mülazimler (Preparatory Students), which lies beneath the Salis and Rabi medreses. These three medreses were built on the steep northern slope of the Third Hill and in order to utilize this almost precipitous site two expedients were necessary. The north side of the courtyard was raised on high superstructures, beneath which lies the Mülazimler medresesi. Even so, the courtyard itself slopes downhill fairly sharply and the hücres, or cells, along the sides are built on five different levels communicating with each other by four flights of six shallow steps under the portico. On each level outside the cells is a sofa, in this case a kind of veranda with a low parapet. The dershane occupies most of the upper (southern) side of the courtyard, but since it is at the highest level it is entered from the sides rather than from the façade on the court. Salis and Rabi are absolutely identical; between them is a small court from whose lower level two staircases lead to the courtyard of the Mülazimler medresesi. This medrese consists of 18 cells with barrel-vaults underneath the north side of the upper medreses. As a display of virtuosity, nay of bravura, these medreses surely have no rival. Their effortless charm and simple distinction show that they were no empty vaunting of ingenuity, but a genuine architectural inspiration of a faultless master. They are unique and interesting monuments of Ottoman architecture, and one would hope that they will be opened to the public.
At the end of the street, just below the dar-ül hadis, is the hamam of Süleyman’s külliye. This was for many years disaffected and used as a warehouse, and was in a deplorable state. But it has now been restored and is once again being used as a hamam. It is a single hamam and relatively small in size, given the enormous area of the külliye. The hamam is original in design and was once elegant in its decoration. The three-bayed porch has been altered and the camekân has been modified with a timber gallery added in the late Ottoman period. The hararet has an interesting arrangement with four corner cells and four eyvans.
THE DAR-ÜL KURA
The far eastern end of the terrace, the area behind the türbe garden, is a large open area which is triangular in shape because of the direction of the streets below. This was known anciently as the Iron Wrestling Ground, because of the weekly wrestling matches which were once held there. (This has always been an honoured sport in Islam, and the Prophet himself enjoyed wrestling with his companions.) At the western end of this area, set into the middle of the türbe garden wall, we see a handsome building which once served as the dar-ül kura, or school for the various methods of reading and reciting the Kuran. Such schools appear always to have been small buildings, rather like mekteps or the dershanes of medreses. They were sometimes directly attached to a mosque and without accompanying living-quarters for students, for the course in Kuran reading was naturally ancillary to more general studies. This school consists of a large domed chamber of very lovely proportions built over a small Byzantine cistern with four columns.
On the south side of the mosque, outside the precinct walls, stretches a long and broad esplanade lined with institutions belonging to the Süleymaniye külliyesi. This attractive avenue is called Tiryaki Çarşısı, or the Market of the Addicts, because till not very long ago the cafés which line the outer walls of the medreses used to serve opium to their customers in addition to tea, coffee and tobacco. We will start our tour of the outer precincts of the Süleymaniye at the eastern end of the Tiryaki Çarşısı, that is, by turning left after leaving the outer courtyard of the mosque.
THE EVVEL AND SANİ MEDRESES
The first institution which we come to at the eastern end of the esplanade is the former primary school. This little building, whose entrance is around the corner, has been restored and is now in use as a children’s library. The next two institutions are the Evvel and Sani medreses, forming a group with the other two schools of Islamic law on the northern side of the mosque. The entrance to these twin medreses is at the far end of the narrow alley which separates them. They now house the celebrated Süleymaniye library, one of the most important in the city, with over 32,000 manuscripts. The buildings are mirror images of one another; and although the arrangement is typical enough – cells around a porticoed courtyard – there are interesting variations. Thus there is no portico on the north side but instead the three hücres are open, forming a kind of loggia, while the portico on the south side is cut by the dershane. All of the porticoes have been glassed in to accommodate the library; this has been well and attractively done and there is a charming garden in the courtyard itself.
THE MEDICAL COLLEGE AND THE HOSPITAL
Just beyond the Sani medrese we come to what was originally the Tip Medresesi, or Medical College, once the foremost in the Empire. Unfortunately, all that remains of it now is the row of cells along the Tiryaki Çarşısı: the other three sides have long since disappeared. In their place has been built a modern concrete structure and the whole now serves, appropriately enough, as a modern maternity clinic.
Across the street from this to the west is the vast dar-üş şifa, or hospital, a large building arrayed around two arcaded courtyards, now closed to the public. Evliya Çelebi gives this description of the Süleymaniye hospital as it was in his time: “The hospital of the Süleymaniye is an establishment so excellent that the sick are generally cured within three days of their admission, since it is provided with the most admirable physicians and surgeons.” Like most of the larger hospitals, that of the Süleymaniye had a special section for the care of the insane. Foreign travellers to Istanbul were much impressed by these establishments and praised their number and size, charity and organization. Here, for example, is Evliya’s description of one of these Ottoman asylums: “They have excellent food twice a day; even pheasants, partridges and other delicate birds are supplied. There are musicians and singers who are employed to amuse the sick and insane and thus to cure their madness.”
THE İMARET
Turning right from Tiryaki Çarşısı onto the street which borders the west end of the mosque courtyard, we come next to the imaret, or public kitchen, of the külliye. The imaret is enormous, as well it might be, for it had to supply food not only for the poor of the district but for the several thousand people directly dependent on the Süleymaniye: the clergy of the mosque, the teachers and students of the medreses, and the travellers staying at the kervansaray. The courtyard itself is charming with its ancient plane trees and young palms and a lovely fountain in the centre. A few objects from the imaret remain, including an olive press and an enormous stone wheel for grinding grain. The imaret now houses the Darüzziyafe, an excellent restaurant specializing in Ottoman cuisine.
THE KERVANSARAY
Next beyond the imaret is the kervansaray, now closed to the public. The kervansaray included a kitchen, a bakery, an olive press, sleeping quarters for travellers, stables for their horses and camels, and storage rooms for their belongings. According to ancient Turkish tradition, all accredited travellers were given free food and shelter at this and other kervansarays upon their arrival in the city. Evliya Çelebi reports on the hospitality given at these kervansarays in his day: “The kervansaray is a most splendid establishment where all travellers receive twice a day a bowl of rice, a dish of barley soup and bread, every night a candle, and for each horse provender, but the gift to travellers is only for three days.”
This, then, is the great külliye of the Süleymaniye. Surely there can be in the world few, if any, civic and religious centres to compare with it in extent, in grandeur of conception, in ingenuity of design, or in the harmony of its parts.
SİNAN’S TÜRBE
Before we take leave of the Süleymaniye, we might stop for a moment at the tomb of the architect, which stands in a little triangular garden at the north-western corner of the complex. Sinan lived on this site for many years and when he died he was buried in his garden, in a türbe which he had designed and built himself. Fom the apex of the triangle radiate the garden walls, enclosing the open marble türbe. An arcade with six ogive arches supports a marble roof which has a tiny dome over the sarcophagus; the latter is of marble with a turbaned tomb stone at the head. Outside the türbe are several other graves, presumably of Sinan’s wife and children, but unfortunately there are no inscriptions.
On the south wall of the türbe garden there is a long inscription by Sinan’s friend, the poet Mustafa Sa’i, which commemorates the architects accomplishments. Mustafa Sa’i also wrote of Sinan in his Tezkere-ül Ebniye, and from this and other sources we can piece together the life-history of this extraordinary genius. Sinan was born of Christian parents, presumably Greek, in the Anatolian district of Karamania in about 1490. When he was about 21 he was caught up in the devşirme, the annual levy of Christian youths who were taken into the Sultan’s service. As was customary, he became a Muslim and was sent to one of the palace schools in Istanbul. He was then assigned to the Janissaries as a military engineer and served in five of Süleyman’s campaigns. In about 1538 he was appointed Chief of the Imperial Architects, and in the following year completed his first large mosque in Istanbul, Haseki Hürrem Camii. In the following half-century he was to adorn Istanbul and the other cities of the Empire with an incredible number of mosques and other structures. In the Tezkere, Mustafa Sa’i credits Sinan with 84 mosques, including 42 in Istanbul, as well as 52 mescits, 63 medreses, seven Kuran schools, 22 türbes, 18 imarets, 20 kervansarays, three hospitals, 35 palaces, eight storehouses, 52 hamams, six aqueducts and eight bridges, a total of 378 structures of which 86 still remain standing in Istanbul alone. And although he was in his 50th year when he completed his first mosque in Istanbul, this renaissance man got better as he grew older and was all of 85 when he completed his crowning masterpiece, the Selimiye mosque in Edirne. He did not pause even then and in the years that were left to him he continued his work, building in that period, among other things, a half-dozen of Istanbul’s finer mosques. Koca Mimar Sinan, or Great Sinan the Architect, as the Turks call him, died in 1588 when he was 97 years old (100 according to the Muslim calendar). He was the architect of the golden age and his monuments are the magnificent buildings with which he adorned this city.