The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire

"This book is a study of the life and work of Sinan, who was chief architect and who built most of his projects under Süleyman. He was probably of Armenian origin, from Central Anatolia. Ottoman agents would go to the provinces and select children for Ottoman service. This Armenian child became one of the most defining figures of Ottoman culture to this day. He was the most prolific architect of the entire span of the Empire. He was also extremely gifted. He developed both building methods and standards and new aesthetic styles for mosques large and small, for bridges, for convents, for soup kitchens. This book is about Sinan’s life and work. It gives an exhaustive list of everything he ever built and looks at his relationship with members of the Ottoman elite. Süleyman as well as his wife and daughter play a very large role in the book, as does the son who succeeded him as sultan. Sinan’s most prolific period was during the reign of Süleyman. Using architecture, Süleyman was creating very tangible signs of his presence, his persona, and his charity. His wife had started earlier, in the late 1530s. Süleyman started in the mid to late 1540s. He dotted the entire realm with these architectural signs, these very visible buildings that told people about the sultan. These buildings reflected the image Süleyman wanted to leave behind. It’s an image that doesn’t emerge in the Süleymanname , the illustrated history book. The architectural building program projects the image of a charitable sultan who catered to all the needs of his subjects. If you look at his building complex in Istanbul, for instance, the central piece is a mosque, but it also has a library, it has a bathhouse, it has a caravanserai or guesthouse. It has a soup kitchen that distributes food to people. You can go to the sultan’s soup kitchen and have a free meal. These are all free services. If you look at the locations, a related picture emerges. Jerusalem was a major recipient of Süleyman’s charity. The walls of Jerusalem, which are still visible today, were built under Süleyman. Süleyman’s wife had a large soup kitchen and fountains built in Jerusalem. Süleyman is the Arabicized/Turkicized form of Solomon. People did call him the second Solomon, the Solomon of our age, and it is quite likely that Süleyman and his wife wanted to underline those Solomonic connections through their charity in Jerusalem. He also had a lot of charitable works in Mecca and Medina. On the way there, in Damascus for instance, he had waystations built for pilgrims. The architectural legacy projected the image of a charitable, pious, devout, mature, sultan. It supplemented the image found in the Süleymanname. The best way to learn about all that and also about the life of this extremely talented, creative, wonderful artist, Sinan, is by reading this book. Yes, it’s by an art historian, so it has a lot of illustrations. It has a lot of contemporary depictions as well as modern photographs. It also has interior plans, so you can see how a mosque interior, for instance, was designed and set up. This is a wonderful book. It’s a serious scholarly work but it’s also the best coffee table book that you could buy for your friends who are interested in Ottoman history. It’s a beautiful, beautiful book."