SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE

As the largest mosque in Istanbul, the Süleymaniye mosque complex was built by Sinan in a mere seven years from 1550 on. Set in a large courtyard with an magnificent view of the Golden Horn, Suleymaniye is generally agreed upon as the best of all Ottoman Mosque complexes. The complex is designed using symmetrically laid out school buildings of varying levels, a hospital, a famous library, a public kitchen, a kervansaray, an arcade for shops, a public bath and the tombs for the royal couple - Kanuni Süleyman and Roxelena, as well as the tomb of the mosque's architect, Sinan.