When we walked across the Galata Bridge to the Old City, or looked across the Golden Horn from a rooftop restaurant or the Galata Tower, we could see an imposing mosque, its dome and four minarets silhouetted against the sky. This was Süleymaniye, a grand mosque commissioned by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and one of the greatest achievements of famed Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.
Sinan (1490-1588) served as a Janissary (a soldier in the elite infantry that served the sultans) and trained as an army engineer. In 1539, he was appointed Imperial Architect and served for nearly 50 years before dying at a ripe old age. Sinan’s European contemporaries included Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, and Palladio, and many believe they were influenced by his work. Sinan was a big deal!
It was perhaps ambitious of us to travel to Süleymaniye on foot. We walked down the hill from our hotel, through the underground shopping tunnels, across the Galata Bridge, through more underground shopping tunnels, through the streets outside the Spice Bazaar, and then up the hill of Süleymaniye. It was a hot, sunny Saturday morning, and the narrow cobblestone streets were thronged with pedestrian shoppers and (annoyingly) rogue motorcyclists.
Finally, our persistence was rewarded, and we found ourselves entering the walsl of a magnificent mosque.
Süleiman wanted to build a mosque celebrating his magnificence, grander than any mosque built by sultans before him. He told Sinan that money was no obstacle, and the Imperial Architect delivered, erecting the mosque in just seven years.
The huge central dome was 174 feet high and 74 feet across. There were no elephant columns here; the central dome was supported by an elegant cascade of half-domes and a few buttresses that were part of the walls. There were some beautiful stained glass windows with stylized calligraphy displaying the names of God (Allah) and the prophet Muhammad. The overall effect was one of symmetry and elegance.
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After visiting the mosque, we looked for the restaurants serving famous Turkish beans and rice. The place we found had chick peas instead of white beans, but it didn’t matter - it was delicious!
Just for something different, we walked back across the Galata Bridge on the lower level, which had a string of restaurants. We’d been warned that they all had the same mediocre food, but there were plenty of diners enjoying the view. To conserve time and energy, this time we tried riding the Tünel, a historic funicula that started near the waterfront and traveled up the hill to a spot right near our hotel. It was super easy, and we wished that we’d tried it days ago!
