Built for the sultan by his prolific architect, Sinan, and completed in 1557, the Mosque of Süleyman the Magnificent almost outdoes the Blue Mosque in its sheer size, architecture, and design. Its subtly understated interior, decorated in pastel tones, was restored in the 1950s to give it a face lift, wiping away signs of aging.
The term "Süleymaniye" applies not just to the mosque, but to the huge network of related buildings that nestle around it on a hilltop overlooking the city. Within this complex are the ornate mausoleums of Süleyman and his wife Roxelana, as well as a madrassa (former seminary) and the tomb of Sinan.
Imagine the pomp and circumstance here on the summer day in 1550 when construction began: Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent arrives on his horse, along with the clergy. He orders his guards to give alms to the poor, and to sacrifice rams for a fortunate start. As the crowd recites verses from the Quran, the head of the clergy sets the first stone of the foundation. Within six years, the dome would be completed; the following year, the mosque would open for worship; and the whole shebang would take only a decade to finish.

ORIENTATION

Cost and Hours: Mosque—free, generally open daily one hour after sunrise until one hour before sunset, closed to visitors five times a day for prayer; Mausoleum—free, daily 9:00-17:00, until 18:00 in summer.

Location: It's on a hill near Istanbul University, on Siddik Sami Onar Caddesi in the Süleymaniye neighborhood.

Services: WCs are located just outside either end of the mosque wall. Several eateries are located within the former madrassa alongside the mosque.

Starring: One of Sinan's great mosques, the mausoleums of Siileyman and his wife Roxelana, and the Suleymaniye neighborhood.

The Tour Begins

Length of This Tour: Allow one hour.

• Enter the mosque complex at its southern corner, by the large street fountain.
Standing in the square with the mosque behind you, you're facing the corner of the madrassa, or school of theology. Originally, this was divided into three sections: the first two were devoted to interpreting the Quran, while the third (at the far end with the flagpole at its entrance) was a medical school—now it's a hospital.
This peaceful space, stretching along mosque's outer courtyard wall, is lined with good restaurants (see end of this walk, page 214, for details). There's a WC just outside the wall at this end of the mosque, and another at the opposite corner of the mosque's outer courtyard.
• Now use the gate near the bigfountain to enter the... Outer Courtyard
As you enter this courtyard, walk straight ahead to the gate leading into the cemetery. Just before you enter the cemetery, look to your left to see two elevated stone slabs. These are used to support the coffin during the funeral service. According to Muslim tradition, the body of the deceased is washed and wrapped in a white shroud, then placed in a wood coffin and brought to these stone slabs. Relatives and friends gather here, and the imam (cleric) leads them in one last prayer for the soul of the deceased. The body is then taken into the cemetery and buried, still in the shroud but without the coffin. Just as a Muslim faces Mecca to pray, the body of a Muslim is buried so that it points eternally toward Mecca.
• Go through the gate into the...

Cemetery: The Mausoleums of Süleyman the Magnificent and Roxelana

you walk through the headstones (some dating back to the early 17th century), notice that each tomb has two stones. The larger stone is inscribed with the epitaph, while the smaller one is for decoration. This tradition is often not observed today.
Follow the stone sidewalk to the first and bigger mausoleum (on your right). In 1566, the aging Siileyman the Magnificent went on one last military campaign to Zigetvar, where he died silently in his tent. His clever Grand Vizier knew that the army would disband if they knew the sultan was dead, so he covertly had Suleyman's body mummified. (Meanwhile, the Grand Vizier sent a note to Suleyman's son, Selim, telling him to grab the throne before someone else could.) The magnificent sultan's death was kept secret until after the army returned in victory to Istanbul, when his body was interred next to the mosque that bears his name. (Back then, this was a rose garden, not a cemetery.)
At the entrance porch, remove your shoes and stow them on the wooden shelves, then step inside. A year after Suleyman's death, the best stonemasons and marble-workers in the empire came here to build a turbe (tuhr-beh), or mausoleum, that would mirror Suleyman's fame. They were led by Sinan, the master architect who'd also built the mosque. The mausoleum was considered complete when it was decorated with precious tiles from Iznik (bordered with Arabic inscriptions—excerpts from the Quran). Candles and oil lamps were lit, Suleyman's robe was laid over the green cover of the ceremonial coffin, and imams began reading from the Quran...and didn't stop for years.
On either side of the entrance are some of the most beautiful tile frames anywhere. The words "There is no other God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet" are inscribed on the door. The larger tomb (cenotaph) at the center of the mausoleum is Suleyman's. On either side are the two heirs of Suleyman, their relatives, and Suleyman and Roxelana's daughter (to his right).
Notice the gorgeous details that fill the room: the floral-designed Iznik tiles, the marble paintwork, the beautiful woodwork on the window and door shutters, and the decorative ostrich eggs and colored replicas in the frame hanging from the ceiling.
As you exit, the entrance to Roxelana's mausoleum is to your right. While not as impressive as her husband's, it's worth a look. Enjoy the attractive tiles, and notice the "stalactites" decorating the niches between the windows. Roxelana's cenotaph is the first one, surrounded by an attractive inlaid wood panel. Take a close look at the astonishing workmanship, with thousands of tiny wood pieces studded in to create its elegance.
• Exit the cemetery into the outer courtyard, turn right, and walk along the mosque. You'll see stairs leading up to agate reservedfor worshippers (no visitors allowed). Continue beyond this gate to the far end of the mosque, and climb a few stairs into the...

Inner Courtyard

Like the rest of the Siileymaniye complex, this courtyard was designed by the master architect Sinan. He was a master of creating spaces that were at once plain and beautiful. Looking around the courtyard, appreciate Sinan's mastery of architectural grace: It's not ostentatious, but the surrounding porticos and soaring minarets make it feel appropriately majestic.
If you've been to the Blue Mosque already, you'll notice some similar features: The domed porticos around the perimeter look decorative, but they're also functional—providing shade in summer and shelter in winter. The shutters are opened for ventilation in the summer. The portico that runs along the front of the mosque is elevated, giving it a grand appearance. This area is reserved for overflow when services fill up. The old marble fountain in the middle of the courtyard was used for ablution—ritual cleansing before worship.
The main gate of the courtyard (across from the entrance to the mosque) has three elevated arches and cupolas, all decorated with calligraphy. (This door is usually kept closed, but we'll see it from the other side later on this tour.) Notice the first shutters on either side of this door, and the windows above them. These appear identical to the other shutters around the courtyard, but they actually hide the entrance to a special chamber that was used by astronomers—who had the important responsibility of calculating the exact time for worship, five times each day, based on the position of the sun.
This mosque has four minarets. Mosques that were financed by sultans often had more than one minaret to show off the sultan's wealth. In Siileyman's mosque, the extra minarets also carry a symbolic meaning: a reference to the initial four caliphs, the religious and social leaders of the Muslim community after the Prophet Muhammad. Notice that the number of balconies on all of the minarets adds up to 10. This is also symbolic: Muhammad told 10 Muslim saints that they were going straight to heaven. (Or maybe it's because Süleyman was the 10th sultan of the Ottoman dynasty.)
Turn your attention to the portico left of the mosque entry. Examine the marble base of the column farthest to the left (near the door to the outside). Known as the "janissaries' column," this was where the elite royal soldiers (janissaries) would test their agility. One soldier at a time would wrap his arms around the column, then try to run around it in a circle— stepping up, down, up, down—trying not to break contact. Eventually, a smooth groove was worn into the marble.

• Go to the entrance of the mosque, remove your shoes, and put them on the wooden shelves. Notice the beautiful stalactite designs on the niche over the door, and the woodwork on the door wings. There's no fee to enter the mosque, but you can leave a donation as you exit. Now go through the leather curtain and into the mosque's...

Interior

Tranquility. Especially compared to the riot of color and design in the Blue Mosque, the sedate interior of Siileyman's mosque puts the worshipper at ease. Once again, appreciate the genius of the architect Sinan: Somehow the plain-seeming, pastel decoration and tasteful stained-glass windows merge in a harmonious whole.
The impressive dome (flanked by two semi-domes, as in Hagia Sophia) has a diameter of 90 feet. While Renaissance architects in Europe were struggling to sort out the technical difficulties of domes, Sinan succeeded in creating a masterful dome that even included such niceties as open earthenware jars embedded between the brick layers of the dome, which open into the room to enhance acoustics.
Look around to find the typical features of a mosque: The wooden barrier marks an area reserved for worshippers. At the end of the apse, a marble niche—or mihrab—shows the direction of the holy city Mecca (which Muslims face to pray). To the right is the highly decorated staircase called a mimber, where the imam stands to deliver his sermon. In front of that is an elevated marble platform for the choir. And in the left corner, behind the giant support leg, is the sultan's lodge (on pillars). Because Islamic tradition prohibits depictions of living beings in a house of worship, the decor is non-figurative: floral designs, stained-glass windows, tiles, and calligraphy (hat). • As you exit the mosque into the inner courtyard (through the same door you entered), turn right and headfor the doorway leading to the "backyard" of the mosque.

Backyard

Walk straight ahead to the edge of the grassy platform. You're treated to sweeping views of the Golden Horn, the New District beyond it, and (to the right) the Bosphorus Strait all the way to the giant suspension bridge. As you walk farther to the right, you'll also see the Old Town with Asian Istanbul (across the
Bosphorus) in the background. KV Stairs by the edge of the courtyard lead down to a street with Sinan's tomb (we'll pass by here later). For now, head for the mosque's minarets and go around the outside of the inner courtyard. Halfway along the wall, you reach the same entry door we saw earlier from the other side, decorated with calligraphy and floral-design borders on the crown, and a beautiful stalactite-design niche right above the doorway. Occasionally the door is open, offering a great view of the mosque's domes, portico, and fountain framed by the door.
With the door at your back, head straight through the gate out of the courtyard, leaving the grounds of Siileyman's mosque.

• Before continuing, consider a meal at Dariizziyafe—once a royal soup kitchen, today a fine restaurant known for its Ottoman dishes and drinks (the restaurant entrance is just up the street to the left;). For a quick break, head to the relaxing tea garden just beyond Dariizziyafe. Another option is Kanaat Lokantasi, back near the fountain at the mosque entrance. It serves the traditional and affordable bean soup calledkuru fasulye (koo-roo fah-sool-yeh)—. (s3)