Ottoman Supremacy: The Suleimaniye, Istanbul

By the reign of Suleiman I (1520-66), known to the West as the Magnificent, the Ottoman empire had come to dominate the whole of the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. In many ways conditions paralleled those of the Italian Renaissance, enormous wealth and long history giving rise to a taste for antique classical architecture. In 1550 Suleiman commissioned his architect Sinan to build a mosque complex, the Suleimaniye, which also included a university, a hospital, a public kitchen and a religious hostel. We examine the symbolism of the design and decoration and the varied functions of this, the greatest building completed since Roman times.

© 1998-2008 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.