ARCHITECT SINAN
Great architect, who was born in Agirnas village of Kesi district of Kayseri on 29 May 1490. He entered Janissary organization as a devşirme. He left military service in his 50 and became the Chief Architect. He held this office for 48 years. He constructed 81 mosques, 10 small mosques, 55 schools, 26 tombs, 17 establishments of charity, 6 dams and aqueducts, 9 bridges, 17 caravanserais, 33 palaces, 6 cellars, and 37 Turkish baths.
He died in Istanbul on 9 April 1588. His tomb is on the yard of Suleymaniye mosque.Emperor Justinien yelled "I overcame Suleyman" under the magnificent dome of Saint sofia church. The emperor believed that a dome greater than this one could not be constructed under the earthly sky. However, Sinan became the person who constucted the greatest tomb under the sky overshadowing Saint Sofia, with Suleymaniye mosque, which he called "a product of his master-builder times".
This was such a mosque that it was a masterpiece which would stand erectly with all its magnificent as long as the earth persisted worthy of the high name of World Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. Its construction lasted for exactly eight years, and so, sometimes got very angry with his Chief Architect Sinan, whom he liked and appreciated much. Sinan spent exactly 6 years for merely foundations of the mosque.
The news that a mosque to overshadow Saint Sofia was being constructed in Istanbul made all Islam world turn their eyes to Istanbul. However, the doubt that such delay in its construction resulted from financial problems arouse.
Being influenced with the same, Iran Shah Tahmasb Khan, sent a small chest of jewels to Suleyman the Magnificent at hands of his ambassador, and said "we wanted to have a share in completion of the mosque". Magnificent Sultan, gave the chest to Architect Sinan and said "use these gems in the mortar" and these gems were added into the mortar like gravel. It is said that this is why the minarets of Suleymaniye mosque shine brightly under the first sunlight rising from Uskudar.
At the same time, people, who were jealous of Sinan, did not refrain from rumors. Those who said "he cannot take this building out of this black mud", began to say after the walls of the mosque were with magnificence that "he doubts standing of the dome. This guy is an admirer of it; he passes his days for this...".
Such rumors were heard by the sultan too. He was about to be punished by the sultan. Suleyman the Magnificent, who came suddenly to the mosque one day and saw Sinan smoking a water pipe under the dome, yelled:
- O Sinan! Why don't you obey my orders for my mosque and spend time by smoking water pipe? Sinan replied showing that there was not no tobacco on the water pipe that:
- I am listening to the echo of the dome with the bubbling sound of the water pipe my sultan...
Indeed, the bubbling sound of that little water pipe echoed strongly from the giant dome...
And after eight long years elapsing with so many events, the magnificent mosque, which was an architectural masterpiece, was completed. Suleyman the Magnificent, admiring the grandeur and beauty of the mosque constructed in his name, passed the keys of the mosque to Architect Sinan, and said:
- You are supposed to open this house of Allah you constructed with loyalty, comfort and prayers... and presented the greatest honor to his Chief Architect.
Architect Sinan, who said "Sehzade Mosque is my apprentice work, Suleymaniye is a work of my master-builder times, and Selimiye in Edirne, is my master piece", had begun working as a carpenter in Janissary organization.
During Tabriz expedition of Yavuz Sultan Selim, his wide boat he constructed to sail over Van lake, was not only the first boat on this lake, but also his first work. Then he learned geometry and architecture during expeditions to Arabic and Persian lands, and he constructed his first bridge on Prut river during Karabag expedition by Suleyman.
He embellished with approximately four hundred architectural masterpieces on whole big empire spread on three continents after he came to the palace as Chief Architect leaving the Janissary Organization. His Chief Architecture period lasted for 48 years. He depicted this most magnificent and richest period of Turkish history with his mosques, schools, tombs, aqueducts, bridges, palaces, Turkish baths, cellars and dams.
He made Poet Mustafa Sai, whom he loved and protected much, after his 90, write his biography under the name of Tezkiretü'l-Bünyân. So, devsirme Sinan, wrote and left for our history Great Sinan he constructed with his own personal efforts.
Architect Sinan died in Istanbul on 9 April 1588. His tomb is on Suleymaniye Mosque yard.