The Great Works of Sinan - Essay Example

?Harris Kamran Architecture Research Paper 7 October The Great Works of Sinan The great architect Sinan accomplished some architectural marvels that continue to inspire visitors from around the world. This paper purports to research three great architectural wonders created by Sinan, the Sehzade Mosque, the Suliyemane Mosque, and the Selimiye Mosque. It starts with a brief biography of the great architect himself, and also includes a discussion of the Hagia Sophia, which greatly influenced his construction works. Sinan, or Mimar Koca Sinan (Matthews 2011), was born in 1498 in Anatolia, Turkey, of Greek parents (Matthews 2011). He spent his childhood in Agirnas, a village near Kayseri, until he joined the “masters of carpenters” (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). He learned the craft there until 1512 (Matthews 2011), when, at the age of twenty two (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), he joined the royal army (Matthews 2011) and got recruited into the Corps of Ottoman Standing Troops (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). As a cavalry officer (Matthews 2011), he traveled far and wide in the empire, to places such as Egypt, Persia, Damascus, and Baghdad (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). He visited architectural wonders and ruins, and according to his own statement, learned something from every building and every ruin (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). He was quickly ranked as a construction officer (Matthews 2011). As an army engineer, he constructed bridges and forts (Matthews 2011), which proved to be very successful and architecturally sound. As his reputation built, he was promoted to the rank of the head of royal architects (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), or the Architect of the Abode of Felicity in 1538 (Matthews 2011), at the age of fifty (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). As he built, his reputation rose (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). Soon he was flooded with clients and their projects (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), and the landscape of Istanbul and Turkey was changed forever by his masterpieces (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). Due to his excellence in his craft, he was promoted to the position of the State Architect (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), a position which he held for a decade (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). Sinan’s work include an eclectic range of construction projects, from hospitals to mosques and from asylums to bridges (Matthews 2011). However, his most prominent accomplishments remain the great mosques that he designed and constructed (Matthews 2011). Sinan generally designed the larger mosques mostly as complexes with hospitals, schools, libraries, almshouses, and public baths (Matthews 2011). Three of his greatest masterpieces, the Sehzade, Suleymaniye, and Selimiye mosques (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011) are discussed in detail later in the paper. Most of his work is influenced by the Hagia Sophia (Matthews 2011), with a weightless central dome supported by windows (Matthews 2011), an interior that is flooded with light due to those windows (Matthews 2011), pillars, buttresses, and minarets (Matthews 2011). One of his unique projects is the urban mosque complex next to the harbor in the Kadirga Liman quarter (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque Complex, started in 1571 and finished in 1572 (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The challenge of the fifty six feet dropping landscape (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011) is met with great ingenuity (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011) and expertise by Sinan, which can be viewed as a refreshingly changing landscape view (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011) as the complex is accessed by a number of entries through narrow and winding lanes (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). In the Hagia Sophia, Sinan added two large minarets at the Western end (An Architectural Wonder 2008), and to the southeast of the building, the mausoleum of Selim II in 1577 (An Architectural Wonder 2008). Later, he added a dias for sermons (An Architectural Wonder 2008), a minbar in the Sultan’s gallery (An Architectural Wonder 2008), and a loggia (An Architectural Wonder 2008). Sinan was one of the first earthquake engineers of the world (An Architectural Wonder 2008). His work includes many pioneering projects, such as the first teaching asylum of the world in the Sulemaniye Complex (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). It is estimated that Sinan constructed a total of a hundred and sixty structures (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), of which there were ‘eighty four large mosques, sixty one minor mosques, twenty two mausoleums, three asylums, forty six inns, forty two public baths, thirty five palaces, seven aqueducts, seventeen care facilities, fifty seven religious schools, and seven seminaries’ (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The great architect died in 1588 (An Architectural Wonder 2008), and was buried in Turkey in a self-designed tomb in his garden near the Sulemaniye Mosque Complex (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). Of the three mosques to be discussed in the paper, the first of the masterpieces to be constructed by the great Sinan was the Sehzade Mosque (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), and standing true to his tradition, the mosque was constructed as a huge complex (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The work began and ended in the period between 1543 and 1548 (Jones 2009). The ruling emperor of the time, Sultan Suleyman (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), had a beloved son and successor to the throne, Prince Sehzade Mehmed, who died at an early age (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The emperor ordered Sinan to build a mosque in his memory (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), and Sinan created a wonder of the Ottoman architecture (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The mosque and the complex are located in Sehzadebasi, Eminonu (Jones 2009). The complex follows the design of two courtyards, one open and spacious (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), and the other covered, which comprises the mosque (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), giving the overall complex exterior beauty and interior space (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The central feature of the mosque is the central dome (Jones 2009), inspired from the Hagia Sophia. The diameter of the dome is 19 meters, and the height measures 37 meters (Jones 2009). The main dome constitutes four smaller domes which support it (Jones 2009). The mosque lies in the center of the complex (Jones 2009). In the inner courtyard is a pool for ablutions, with its own dome (Jones 2009). The two minarets are constructed at the junction of the walls of the outer courtyard and the mosque (Jones 2009), each having its own gallery (Jones 2009). Within the mosque are the pulpit, the niche, and the loggia (Jones 2009). The mosque and the courtyard are separated from the rest of the complex by their own wall (Jones 2009). Other than the mosque, the complex contains six mausoleums, five of which are enclosed and one is out in the open, and one of which is the Prince Mehmed’s tomb (Jones 2009); a soup kitchen; a hospice; and two schools (Jones 2009). These structures, which are built into the wall of the courtyard, are situated towards the north of the complex (Jones 2009). The Suleymaniye Mosque complex is the second largest but considered to be the most magnificent of the mosques in Turkey (Istanbul Tours 2010). Built to honor the Suleyman I (Sacred Destinations 2011), the mosque was designed and built by Sinan in the period from 1550 to 1557 (Sacred Destinations 2011). It sits majestically on a hill overlooking the Golden Horn and Pera (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The mosque has a central dome, measuring 53 meters in height and 27.25 meters in diameter (Sacred Destinations 2011), a courtyard, and four minarets (Istanbul Tours 2010). Overall, the mosque measures 59 meters in length and 58 meters in width (Istanbul Tours 2010). Inside, the dome is supported by two columns, two from Byzantine Palaces, one from Alexandria, and one from Baalbek (Istanbul Tours 2010). The interior is decorated with glasswork, tiles, and paintings (Istanbul Tours 2010). The complex as a whole covers around twenty five acres of land (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). Other than the mosque, the complex contains four schools (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), two mausoleums (Istanbul Tours 2010), a hospice, a hospital and dispensary, public baths, a library, and a teaching asylum (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), the first of its kind in the world (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The mausoleum contains the tomb of the emperor Suleyman (Sacred Destinations 2011). Near to the mosque is the garden of Sinan, where he is buried in a tomb designed by himself (Sacred Destinations 2011). The complex was struck with fire twice and was renovated (Sacred Destinations 2011). It is considered to be the answer to Hagia Sophia, but with a more symmetrical and rational design (Istanbul Tours 2010). The Selimiye Mosque Complex is another architectural wonder by Sinan (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). Built on the request of the Sultan Selim II, the mosque is a huge complex in the town of Edirne (Big Love Turkey n.d.). The complex was started and finished in the period between 1568 and 1574 (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The mosque consists of a central dome (Big Love Turkey n.d.) of a greater height than that of the Hagia Sophia (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011), and four minarets (Big Love Turkey n.d.) which are among the tallest ever built, measuring 230 feet in height (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). The courtyard is surrounded by twenty windows (Big Love Turkey n.d.), and in its center is a pond for performing ablutions (Big Love Turkey n.d.). The interior of the mosque contains eight pillars for support (Big Love Turkey n.d.), arranged in an octagon inside a square wall (Big Love Turkey n.d.). The complex has stood the test of time and nature, and has survived many earthquakes (Turkish Cultural Foundation 2011). Although of a simple design, it is an architectural marvel (Big Love Turkey n.d.). It is obvious from the discussion of the different works of the great architect Sinan, especially his three most important works as discussed in the paper, that he was highly influenced by the style of the Hagia Sophia (Hagia Sophia 2011), part of which he designed himself under the Ottoman rule (An Architectural Wonder 2008). Therefore, it is important to discuss the architecture and the history of the Hagia Sophia so that its influence on the other mosques could be well understood. The Hagia Sophia, or the Ayasofya, as it is known locally (An Architectural Wonder 2008), is located in Istanbul, Turkey, which is considered to be a location where the ‘East meets the West’ (An Architectural Wonder 2008), and the ideas of the Asian and the European cultures merge together (An Architectural Wonder 2008). This is imperative as the place has been under the rule of the great empires of the Byzantine and Ottoman in the course of its history (Hagia Sophia 2011), and the architects of each of these eras have left their mark in the structures and buildings of the city (An Architectural Wonder 2008). This is especially true of the Hagia Sophia. It started out to be a Cathedral, the largest in the world till 1520 (An Architectural Wonder 2008). The most prominent feature of the Cathedral was the central dome, which measured 31.24 meters in diameter and 55.6 meters in height (An Architectural Wonder 2008). Such a massive structure was rendered virtually weightless by the support of forty windows (An Architectural Wonder 2008) that not only bore its weight but also provided sunlight and ventilation to the Cathedral (An Architectural Wonder 2008). It was further supported by pillars, and buttresses that were added later for further strength (An Architectural Wonder 2008). The interior was decorated with mosaic and stone work (An Architectural Wonder 2008). Later, under the Ottoman rule, the building was converted into a mosque (An Architectural Wonder 2008), and the Christian sculptures, paintings, and other structures were removed or painted over (An Architectural Wonder 2008), and the Muslim architectural structures such as the ‘mihrab, the minbar, and the minarets’ (An Architectural Wonder 2008) were added by architects such as Sinan himself (An Architectural Wonder 2008). The overall design of the building was not only maintained (An Architectural Wonder 2008), but strengthened and improved. In 1935, under the secular government of Turkey, the building was once again converted, this time into a museum (An Architectural Wonder 2008). Bibliography n.d. Selimiye Mosque. [Online]. Big Love Turkey. Available: http://www.bigloveturkey.com/pages/selimiye-mosque.asp. [7 October 2011]. 2008. An Architectural Wonder. [Online]. Hagia-Sophia.net. Available: http://www.hagia-sophia.net/architecture.htm. [7 October 2011]. 2010. Suleymaniye Mosque. [Online]. Istanbul Tours. Available: http://www.istanbultoursonline.com/istanbul/suleymaniye_mosque.htm. [7 October 2011]. 2011. Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul. [Online]. Sacred Destinations. Available: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-suleiman-mosque. [7 October 2011]. 2011. The Great Architect Sinan (Koca Mimar Sinan). [Online]. Turkish Cultural Foundation. Available: http://www.turkishculture.org/architecture-403.htm. [7 October 2011]. Goodwin, G. 1993. Sinan: Ottoman architecture and its values today. Turkey: Saqi Books. Hagia Sophia. 2011. Hagia Sophia. [Online]. Hagia Sophia. Available: http://www.hagiasophia.com/. [7 October 2011]. Jones, M. 26 April 2009. Sehzade Mosque Complex. [Online]. Blogspot. Available: http://culturecityistanbul.blogspot.com/2009/04/sehzade-mosque-complex.html. [7 October 2011]. Kuran, A. 1987. Sinan: the grand old master of Ottoman architecture. Illustrated edition. Indiana: Institute of Turkish Studies. Matthews, K. 2011. Sinan. [Online]. Great Buildings. Available: http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Sinan.html. [7 October 2011]. Read More