The Structures of Sinan

Inside Selimiye Mosque

New York Times reporter Andrew Ferren tracks the 16th-century architect and engineer named Sinan. Ferren writes, "Sinan (circa 1490-1588) was chief architect and civil engineer of the Ottoman Empire, working when the empire was at its apogee; his employers, Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent and his heirs, were the most powerful men on earth."

The article is coupled with beautiful images of Sinan's works from the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul to the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne which Sinan considered his masterpiece and which Mr. Ferren also refers to as the holy grail of his pilgrimage. Mr. Ferren declares, "Sinan has hundreds of monumental structures still in daily use, from Belgrade to Mecca. You might say that Sinan was the world’s first “starchitect.”" In 2011 UNESCO declared the entire Selimiye Mosque complex as a World Heritage Site.

Posted in: Andrew Ferren, Architecture, Mimar Sinan, New York Times, Ottoman Empire, Travel