Yet another mosque? (Suleimaniye Mosque)

Member Name: MykReeve

Product:	Suleimaniye Mosque
Date:	05/10/01 (152 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful location, Peace and tranquillity, Impressive decoration

Disadvantages: The uphill walk to get there, Yet another mosque in Istanbul

Almost anywhere else in the world the Suleymaniye Mosque would be a truly stunning building, but in Istanbul, with the Haghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque within walking distance, the Suleymaniye Mosque is probably only the city's third most impressive building.

The fact is, if you're not a Muslim visiting Istanbul, the Suleymaniye Mosque appears to be just another impressive mosque - if you've visited several other mosques in the city, you're unlikely to be that bowled over by it. In many other cities in the world, however, it would be breathtaking. Despite this, the mosque is Istanbul's most important - it is the most impressive of the buildings designed by the great architect Sinan, and stands as a memorial to its founder, Suleyman the Magnificent.

Certainly, the location of the Suleymaniye mosque is imposing. Whenever you see a photograph of the skyline of Istanbul taken from the Bosphorus, it is dominated by the Suleymaniye Mosque, which sits on the highest point of the southwestern peninsula of the city of Istanbul. The mosque is less than half a kilometre from the Grand Bazaar, but if you try walking it, particularly in the hot Summer months, you'll soon discover that most of that walk is uphill.

HISTORY

The Suleymaniye Mosque was built on the grounds of the old palace, Eski Saray, between 1550 and 1557. As with the city's other imperial mosques, it was not only built as a place of worship, but also as a charitable foundation (or kulliye). The mosque itself and its gardens are surrounded by a gated wall and an alley, on the other side of which are a series of excessively domed buildings, which formerly housed a hospital and asylum. Today, many of these domed buildings are occupied by cafés and souvenir shops. The alley between the cafés and the wall around the mosque is still called "Addicts Alley" after the fact that the cafés once served opium and hashish.

When Suleyman died in
1566, his body was placed in a tomb to the east of the mosque, and the body of his wife, Roxelana has been placed in a neighbouring tomb. The architect Sinan is also interred nearby, in a small tomb to the northwest of the grounds of the mosque.

THE MOSQUE

The grounds surrounding the mosque are a pleasant and tranquil place to wander ? a far cry from the hustle and bustle of downtown Istanbul. The only breaks from the peace are the five-times-a-day call to prayer of the muezzin, and the infrequent guided tours that pass through the grounds of the mosque.

To enter the mosque itself, you pass into the courtyard through the small entrance on the south side. The main entrance (the ornate Muvakkithane gateway) is no longer opened. The courtyard itself is slightly smaller than that of the Blue Mosque, but every bit as impressive - in fact, if anything the Suleymaniye Mosque is in a better state of repair than the Blue Mosque.

The ancient columns of the courtyard are thought to have originated from the kathisma - the Byzantine royal box which once stood on the Hippodrome (now Sultanahmet) in front of the Blue Mosque.

You enter the mosque interior through the main entrance, but have to leave your shoes outside. Female tourists, as with other mosques in the city, are encouraged to wear longer skirts and to cover their heads. Tickets, or rather, mandatory donations, to enter the Suleymaniye Mosque are sold from a small booth in the courtyard and cost 250,000 Turkish Lira per person (under 20p).

The mosque interior is every bit as ornately and intricately decorated as the Blue Mosque, though is in many ways easier to appreciate. This is because far fewer tourists visit the Suleymaniye mosque, and although it's unlikely that you would have the mosque to yourself, you're likely to only be sharing it with ten tourists rather than several hundred.

A barrier about halfway through the mosque prevents visitors fr
om getting very close to the end of the mosque with the mihrab, but you can still see enough of the interior to appreciate it. The arches of the mosque are picked out in alternating red and white stones, which look particularly impressive, and as with the Blue Mosque, enormous circular chandeliers hang from the roof just above head height to illuminate the place.

The atmosphere inside the mosque is extremely peaceful, more so than the other mosques I visited in Istanbul. Obviously this can be partly attributed to the relatively small number of tourists, however the Dorling Kindersley guidebook suggests another explanation, pointing out that the height of the dome from the floor is exactly double its diameter. I'm somewhat sceptical as to whether or not the dimensions of the building can actually influence its atmosphere to that extent, but certainly the interior was a restful place to relax after the uphill walk!

TOMBS

The tombs of Roxelana and Suleyman can be found in the graveyard to the east of the mosque. This graveyard is meticulously maintained, and the gravestones are regularly washed. The tombstones in Istanbul's Ottoman graveyards are fascinating - the decoration of the headstone reflects the status of a man in Turkish society. The size of the turban on a headstone reflects an individual's status, for example. In 1828, when the Ottoman Empire collapsed, the turban was banned, and only the fez can be found on tombstones erected after that date.

The tombs of Roxelana and Suleyman are supposedly open throughout the day, however, the guards on the door are inclined to wander off at various intervals, during which the tombs are left locked with no indication of when they might reopen. Admission to both tombs requires you to make a mandatory donation of 250,000 Turkish Lira (under 20p), and you have to leave your shoes in the rack outside before entering.

The tomb of Suleyman is well maintained, and beautif
ully decorated. Suleyman's tomb also contains the bodies of his daughter Mihrimah, and two of his successors, Suleyman II and Ahmet II. All four bodies are enclosed in wooden caskets, under a green drape, which bears intricately embroidered Arabic script in gold thread. The walls are covered by beautiful ceramic tiles, and a dense phrase of Arabic script on the tiles runs in white on blue around the room. The ceiling is picked out with tiny holes, which have been filled with precious stones to resemble the night sky.

The tomb of Roxelana, by contrast, appears to have been less well cared for, and a slightly musty smell pervades the air. The decoration in Roxelana's tomb is notably less elaborate than that of Suleyman's, however it is still very impressive and worth visiting while you are in the area.

CONCLUSIONS

The temptation not to visit the Suleymaniye Mosque on a visit to Istanbul because it's "just another mosque" is clearly a very real one for most tourists. However, it's definitely worth making the hike up the hill, just for the feelings of peace and tranquillity. The mosque is far calmer than the perpetually crowded Blue Mosque and is as beautifully decorated, though it is a good deal smaller.

The tombs of Roxelana and Suleyman are worth paying a visit to too, because of the important roles that the two figures had in Turkish history. It is likely that when you visit the tombs, you'll be the only tourist in there.

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