1 Day with Mimar Sinan

Reading Time: 3 minutes Mimar Sinan, considered one of the most famous and most valuable architects in the history of civilizations , constitutes an important part of the city's silhouette with his beautiful works scattered all over historical Istanbul even hundreds of years after his era.

The recorded works of Mimar Sinan, who left behind dozens of works that seem impossible to fit into a human lifetime, are as follows; 93 mosques, 52 masjids, 56 madrasas, 7 darül-kurra, 20 tombs, 17 imarethane, 3 darüşşifa (hospital), 5 waterways, 8 bridges, 20 caravanserais, 36 palaces, 8 cellars and 48 baths.

It is almost impossible to visit all these monuments in a day, let alone a year, but you can hop in your car and visit all of the world-famous monuments below in the same day.

Suleymaniye Mosque

Suleymaniye Mosque, which Mimar Sinan called "My journeyman work" even though he built it at the age of 85, is located in Eminönü district. The 53 meter high mosque has 4 minarets. The reason for the 4 minarets is to symbolize that Suleiman the Magnificent was the 4th sultan after the conquest of Istanbul. He built the dome part based on the roundness of an egg and adjusted the acoustics.

Şemsi Ahmed Pasha Mosque

Built in 1580, the mosque has a smaller structure compared to other mosques. This mosque, also known as "Asparagus Mosque", is located at the intersection of the north and south winds, so birds do not land on it. Because of this incident, this name has spread from language to language as much as the real name of the mosque. Designing an asymmetrical courtyard, Mimar Sinan used white marble for the entrance door and rare red burgundy stone for the classroom arch.

Maglova Aqueduct

Considered one of the masterpieces of world water architecture, the "Maglova Aqueduct" was built between 1554 and 1562. The 36 meter high and 257 meter long arch has two floors. There are 8 large eyes on the lower level of the arch and 8 small eyes on the upper level.

Haseki Sultan Complex and Mosque

The construction of the complex built in the name of Hürrem Sultan was completed in 1539. The complex and the mosque were designed adjacent to each other and were restored as a double dome in 1612 with an additional dome built in addition to the single dome.

Mihrimah Sultan Mosque

The mosques built by the order of Mihrimah Sultan, daughter of Suleiman the Magnificent, are located in Ümraniye and Edirnekapı. Between 1540 and 1548 the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in Ümraniye was completed, while between 1562 and 1565 the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in Edirnekapı was completed. According to a rumor, Mimar Sinan specially chose the locations of the mosques. To express his love for Mihrimah Sultan, he designed the mosque in Ümraniye so that the sun would set behind the mosque in Edirnekapı on March 21, her birthday, while the moon would rise behind the mosque in Ümraniye.