The complex is located in Süleymaniye, the neighborhood of Eminönü named after it. It was built by Sultan Süleyman, the Magnificent in 1557 and designed by Architect Sinan.
The Süleymaniye    Complex represented the second and most important stage in an architectural tradition which began with the Fatih complex, namely a symmetrical grouping, and use of geometric shaping among the  layout  of the complex buildings.   Of unprecedented  size  and arthitectural design, the Süleymaniye Complex includes a mosque, medresse, hospital, lunatic asylum, infirmary, tombs, a hamam, a market and a primary school.

The Süleymaniye Mosque is an awesome work of art, dating from ,a time when the Ottoman state was at its most splendid .Grandeur symbolised the period. mosques, which were the most important leal lire of the silhouette of Istanbul , were not just places of worship. I lie- complexes and neighbourhoods which surrounded them made l he m into focus of social and cultural life, an institution which characterised city life.
The Süleymaniye Mosque and Complex incorporate the art and genius of Architect Sinan, the greatness and strength of the Ottomans and the beauty and elegance of Istanbul .
During the construction of the mosque, one of the largest building supply sheds in the history of architecture was realised. The supplies were brought from all corners of the Empire. The columns lound in some ancient ruins were detached, brought to Istanbul and used in the interior of the mosque.
The mosque is surrounded by an outer courtyard with the kiblah, or direction to Mecca, being on one side along with an enclosed cemetery containing graves and a mausoleum; the opposite side to the kiblah contains an inner courtyard.
The marble-covered inner courtyard is entered through a magnificent three-storey door the likes of which are seen in no other mosque in Istanbul . The courtyard contains a pool and water-jet fountain. Again unlike other mosques, the four minarets stand in the four corners of the courtyard. The proportion exhibited by the minarets and the domes is a product of genius.
The domes rise from the ground to a height of 50 meters, and the minarets located where the courtyard meets the walls of the mosque have three galleries and are 76 meters high. The minarets located at the side of the courtyard with the entrance have two galleries and are 56 meters high. This proportion is the key to the perfection of the mosques silhouette.
The mosque has a main dome supported by two half-domes. Due to the design of the domes, the acoustics within the mosque are exceptionally clear. The air circulation within the mosque is also obtained from the candles is one of the raw materials in the making of ink used for calligraphy
The marble pulpit and mosque niche are works of art in the field of engraving and carving. The carved lectern of the preacher, window and doors of wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl, stained glass windows and other decorative features of mosques have a low profile; the emphasis in the interior of the mosque is on decoration through calligraphy.
The medresse of the complex is found to the east and west of the mosque along the walls of the inner courtyard. To the west is the Evvel Medresse, Sani Medresse, Primary School, and Medical West; I lie Kahi Medresse and Salis Medresse are located to the east. The I In ulhadis Medresse is found on the kiblah (Mecca) side of the mosque and runs parallel to the garden of Istanbul University.
The hamam of the complex is located where Rabi Medresse .ind Darulhadis Medresse intersect. It is a single hamam for men only .Hid was restored in 1980 after being used as a store room for a period.
The clinic, hospital, mental asylum and infirmary are located in the northwest of the complex parallel to the kiblah. The soup kitchen of the complex the Darüzziyafe, functions today as a irstaurant serving classical Turkish cuisine.
The kiblah side of the mosque has a covered cemetery with a great number of graves, the tombs of Süleyman, the Magnifecent and his wife Hürrem Sultan and a room for the keeper of the tombs.
In the tomb belonging to Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent are the remains of Sultan Ahmed II, his wife Rabia Sultan, daughters Mihrimah Sultan and Asiye Sultan, and Sultan Süleyman II and his mother Saliha Dilaşub Sultan. (s2)

It was constructed by Architect Sinan, the most famous architect of Ottoman history, between 1550 -1557. It was constaicted with the order of Süleyman the Magnificent. During the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent, who has conquered Belgrad, Rhodes, Budin, Algeria, Temeşvar and Zigetvar, and who had conducted military expeditions to Germany, Hungary and Vienna. (1520-1566). The Ottoman Empire reached its largest borders. Süleyman The Magnificent had this mosque carrying his name constructed after 30 years of his enthronement. The reign of Süleyman marks the end of Ottoman Empire's advancement period. Süleyman reigned for 46 years and during these years the Ottomans developed a good deal in the fields of literature, science and art. Architect Sinan (1490-1588) is said to have worked using no plans. During his career, he had constructed nearly 400 hundred buildings. He was a son of a non-Muslim family from Kayseri. He was recruited and taken into the palace when 22. He worked as a janissary for 19 years and became an architect when his talent in architecture was discovered. He had similarities with Michelangelo, the Italian artist and also constructed many works outside the country, such as a madrasah in Mecca and a mosque in Budapest.
The construction of the mosque and complex was completed in 7 years. During the first 3 years, approximately 3-000 workers are said to have dug and paved a foundation to 6-7 m. depth. According to the construction reports of those days, 5.723 workers (of these 1.713 are Moslems, 3.523 Christians) completed the construction in 2.7 million working days. The cost of the mosque is $60 million today. The size and height of the dome Şüleymaniye mosque is less than the Hagia Sophia's, but in terms of its general architectural elegance and size of the complex built in integrity with the mosque is much superior than all the buildings built before and after Şüleymaniye. Usually non-Moslems were settled in this valuable region which is on the third of seven hills within the city walls. The mosque is at the slope of this hill facing the Golden Horn. As Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque) was built over the ruins of the Old Byzantine Palace, Su ley maniye was also built over the Old Ottoman Palace, which was the residence of the Ottomans for a while after the conquest of the city. This mosque that Sinan explains as his 'stage of learning' was constructed in the middle of a garden of 200 x 140 m. In front of it, there is courtyard with colonnades and at the back, a large graveyard in which the tomb of Süleyman and his wife, Hürrem Sultan, are hurried in. There is the Süleymaniye Complex around this garden. The architect of this complex is also Sinan. The complex surrounding the mosque with single-floor buildings seems as a separate city. Madrasahs, giving intensive religious education, were the most important departments of the complex. The bazaar under the madrasahs hosts tourist shops. The old name of this building was the Tiryakiler Bazaar where opium users used as a domicile in the past. The Dar-üş Şifa (hospital), the Charity Establishment and the Caravansary- are in front of the courtyard, west of the mosque. Today, the architectural characteristics of these buildings are neglected since they are used for purposes other than their original construction aim. Problems, especially those arose due to the geographic irregularities, during the construction of complex buildings were settled with the aesthetic architectural solutions of Sinan. During the Ottoman period, 800 employees used to work in this large complex. The big courtyard in the center of the complex has 11 entrances. There are ablution fountains at the southern wall of the mosque. The front courtyard at the western part of the mosque has 3 entrances. This courtyard is surrounded with a portico formed of 10 white, 12 pink and 2 porphyry columns (total 24) and which is roofed with 28 domes. All of these granite and marble columns were brought from the Katisma (emperor's lodge) in the Hippodrome Square. The weight of the each granite column is estimated to be 11 tons, and that of marble ones are thought to be 4 tons. The Arabic script on the tile panels above the windows facing the front courtyard are verses from the Koran, praising the conquests. The reason they are located here because the mosque was constructed with the revenue obtained from the conquest of Hungary. At the center of the front courtyard is a rectangular fountain resembling Caaba. The mosque has 4 minarets. Of these, two has two balconies and the other two has three. It has been said that Süleyman the Magnificent wanted ten minaret balconies to remind that he was the 10th emperor of the Ottoman Empire. The heights of the higher minarets are 74 m. Sinan began the construction of this mosque when he was 69, after having completed Şehzade Sultan mosque which he calls as his work of apprenticeship. The mosque covers an area of approximately 4.500 m2 and its dimensions are 57 x 60 m. If 1 m- of area is presupposed per capital, the total space of prayer for 5.000 people is available. Süleymaniye mosque is the 2nd largest mosque after Sultanahmet Mosque. The architectural plan of Süleymaniye Mosque resembles that of Hagia Sophia. The main dome is 50 m.high and its diameter is 26,5 m. It was built over 4 large columns and supported with 2 semi-domes in western and eastern directions. There are two large arches supported with two red granite columns in the north and two in the south. Each of these columns is 9 m. high, of 1,4 m. diameter and weighs 30 tones. One of these columns was brought from Zeus temple in Baalbek of Lebanon, the second from Alexandria, the third from Vefa district in Istanbul and the last from Topkapi Palace surroundings. These columns are said to symbolize the first four caliphs of Islam. The weight of the dome is approximately 1.000 tons. There are 32 windows around the dome and a total of 136 in the mosque. The diameters of the semi-domes under the central dome are 23 m. and their heights are 40 m. The decoration of the mosque has been given the same importance as the appearance of the exterior parts. The stainglasses were prepared by Sarhoş (Drunk) Ibrahim who was the famous glass craftsman of the time. The plates, in which the names of the important persons of Islam and verses from the Koran inscribed, were prepared by a famous artist, named Hasan Çelebi. The black dye used in the background of these plates were obtained from the soot of oil-lamps in the mosque. The soot wa:> directed to certain points with the aid of air current and recycled. During the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid, a Swiss architect was invited for the restoration of Hagia Sophia and some other mosques. But he damaged the original reliefs of the mosque and oil painted the main columns. During the comprehensive restorations in 1957 during the 400th anniversary of the mosque's opening to prayer, ornaments similar to the original ones were remade. The muezzins lodge and the niche is built out of white marble. The colored glasses and windows are original handicrafts of the 16th century. One of the most important features of the mosque is its fabulous acoustics. The oil lamps hang low, close to the ground in order to burn easily and for better illumination. The black round objects, hanging among the oil lamps, are ostrich eggs. The scent of these eggs, that were boiled by adding different kinds of spices and plants, prevent spiders in the mosque. The graveyard at the back courtyard of the mosque seems as a Open Air Museum for tombstones.. The tombstones of this graveyard, which belong to the burials of elite members of the palace are valuable and elegant as works of art. There are tombstones both at the head and foot of each grave. The graves were prepared with an angle of to the khiblah (Mecca). Suleyman the Magnificient died in 1566 and was buried in a tomb in the middle of this graveyard. His tomb is exactly in back of the main niche of the mosque, therefore, one who prostrates to God during the prayer symbolically prostrates to him also. The dome over the octagonal tomb is supported by 28 columns. There are 8 sarcophagi inside, three of which belong to the sultans Near the tomb of Suleyman the Magnificent is the tomb of Hurrem Sultan, his wife. She was the daughter of a Russian priest and mother of Selim II. She is renowned with her interventions in the state affairs. Her original name was Roxelan, her influence caused Suleyman to have his own son Mustafa and grand vizier Ibrahim murdered. Hurrem, also, interrupted with state affairs which would later influence the Ottoman history. The walls of her tomb are also ornamented with Iznik tiles. The tomb of Sinan is at the northwest part of the graveyard. It is a masterpiece of engraving and architecture but it is not showy. It is open to visit only on the 9th of April, 'Anniversary'. This tomb is the signature of his splendid work.