Turkish architect Mimar Sinan
Although the exact year of his birth is still disputed, the brilliance of Turkish architect Mimar Sinan, which translates as Sinan the architect, is not. Fathered by a stonemason, Mimar Sinan became a military engineer in the Ottoman Empire where he rose through the ranks to become first an officer and finally a commander in the Janissary, the Sultan’s private guard. He was given the honorific title of ağa, or agha as it is known in English, meaning chief, master or lord. While on campaigns with the Janissaries he refined his architectural and engineering skills, becoming expert at constructing fortifications, roads, bridges and aqueducts. At about the age of fifty, he was appointed to the position of chief royal architect. In this capacity he produced many of the projects for which he is still famous today, such as his masterpiece the Selimiye mosque in Edirne. In the course of his life Mimar Sinan was responsible for the construction of more than 300 major structures as well as other less well known buildings, including schools. His apprentices went on to design many famous buildings such as the Sultanahmet and Suleymaniye Mosques in Istanbul, and the Stari Most in Mostar.
Explore the great mosques of Istanbul with the aid of this handy guide, Sinan Diaryz: A Walking Tour of Mimar Sinan’s Monuments.
