The Suleymaniye complexe

Dominating the Golden Horn, the Complex is constructed on the third hill of Istanbul[1]. Its four minarets, of two different sizes, accentuate the profile of the hill. Thanks to the size of the site it was conceived as a veritable quarter, fed by a specific water conveyance system bringing water from the forests of Belgrade to the town and its environs[2].

The mosque is built within a large courtyard enclosed by a wall pierced by many latticed windows. Behind the qibla wall, the domes of the mausolea of Süleyman and his wife Roxelana dominate the many stelae of the cemetery.

In front of the main entrance to the mosque stand a hospital, an imaret (public kitchen) and a guesthouse. Along the two side roads run two double madrasas. The madrasas to the west, situated alongside the ruins of a medical school, look out on the theriaqi square. The complex also includes baths, a public fountain, a koranic school and Sinan’s modest tomb.

The concept of a complex existed in Islamic countries well before the advent of the Ottomans.  From the first centuries of Islamic civilisation, mosques have been built around the tombs of eminent people[3].

The madrasa, which were designed for religious education, were originally placed at the heart of the mosques[4] and as such may be considered as the embryonic conception of a complex.  They developed throughout the eleventh century at the command of the Seljuk vizier Nizam al-Mulk and spread throughout the Islamic world, frequently associated with other buildings. The four madrasa of the Suleymaniye Complex, with their relatively simple design[5], are the result of the evolution of Anatolian madrasa from the Seljuk period. In fact, the Complex contains a relatively small courtyard, as in other Anatolian examples from the thirteenth century; a development imposed by climactic constraints. Within Anatolia, the earliest example of a complex is that of the mosque-mausoleum-hospital at Divrigi (1228-1229).

Complexes also exist in Mamluk Egypt: the complex of the Sultan Hasan in Cairo (1356) unites practically all the same elements[6]. A common desire to display an affirmation of power no doubt explains the construction of these complexes by the Mamluk and Ottoman sultans.

Early Ottoman architecture testifies to the development of these complexes: the number of public buildings surrounding mosques increased in Bursa at the beginning of the 15th century. The complexes of Bayazid I and Mehmet II[7] brings together a türbe, a madrasa, an imaret, and a hammam in addition to the mosque. The topography of the site influenced the disposition of the buildings.

In the complexes realised in Istanbul after 1453, the mosque became the principal building. The külliye of Mehmet II (1463-1470) displays a symmetrical and orthogonal design running along the central axis formed by the mosque. This new rigour contrasts with the rest of the town which developed without any overarching scheme. One finds this trend at Edirne, in the complex of Bayazid II (1484-1488), even if the buildings have not been arranged symmetrically.

In the Süleymaniye, Sinan adapted himself to the topography of the site within the town. The complex is harmonious.  This is due the rectilinear organisation of the space but also to the architectural unity of the buildings, all designed on the basic model of a central courtyard encircled with a domed portico, leading to domed halls. 

The principle of the Ottoman külliye, embodied by the Süleymaniye, extended beyond the borders of Anatolia from the reign of Süleyman. The Sultan had complexes built in several sites of the Ottoman Empire[8].

[2] Water conveyance plan, Istanbul, Turkey c. 1760-1770, Istanbul, Muséus of Turkish and Islamic Arts, inv. 3337.

[3] For example, the Ziride mosque of Sidi Okba (Algéria, 1025).

[4] Djamiat al-Qarawiyyin, Fez, Morocco, 857. In Cairo, the al-Azhar mosque is laid out in a similar position (dates).

[5] They comprise a small courtyard with portico and an  iwan leading to domed halls.

[6] A mosque, a madrasa, the tomb of the founder, a hospital, a bazaar, a kitchen, baths and a system for the conveyance of water found at the Suleymaniye.

[7]Built in 1398-1403 and 1419-1421, respectively.

[8] For example, the Takiyya al-Sulaymaniyya in Damascus (Syria, 1555-1557), of which Sinan was architect.