Süleymaniye-Moschee

The Süleymaniye Mosque stands on the third of Istanbul's seven hills, at the centre of the Süleymaniye complex. Besides the mosque, the complex includes a cemetery, four madrasas, a hospital, baths, shops, a Quran school and the tomb of the architect Sinan, all served by a shared water-supply system. The mosque is built of cut stone laid without mortar. Its marble portal frames an entrance set within a triangular muqarnas niche. At the centre of the courtyard is a rectangular marble fountain, and the surrounding arcade rests in part on reused Byzantine porphyry columns. The building forms part of a World Heritage property and is a protected cultural asset.

The mosque was commissioned by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and named after him. The architect Sinan directed the work, and construction took place between 1550 and 1557, a comparatively short building period. It is regarded as one of Sinan's major works and remains the centrepiece of the Süleymaniye complex.