Selimiye Mosque-Edirne-Turkey-The Secrets of Selimiye Mosque
The square Mosque with its single great dome and four slender minarets, dominates the skyline of the former Ottoman capital of Edirne. Sinan, the most famous of Ottoman architects in the 16th century, considered the complex, which includes madrasas (Islamic schools), a covered market, clock house, outer courtyard and library, to be his best work. The interior decoration using Iznik tiles from the peak period of their production testifies to an art form that remains unsurpassed in this material. The complex is considered to be the most harmonious expression ever achieved of the Ottoman külliye, a group of buildings constructed around a mosque and managed as a single institution.
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Mosque is the most important and, at the same time, the most famous historical monument of Edirne, a city located in the European part of Turkey.
This Ottoman Imperial Mosque was designed by Mdımır Sinan, the most distinguished architect of the Ottoman Empire, responsible for the erection of more than 300 buildings, including bridges, midresses, and mosques.
Selimiye Mosque was constructed between 1566 and 1574, on the orders of Sultan Selim II.
Sultan Selim II wanted a mosque so grand that it would dominate the entire skyline of the city.
To build his grand mosque that would bear his name for years to come, he chose the empire's greatest master, Sinan the Architect.
The mosque was erected on the orders of Sultan Selim II.
Selim was stationed in Edirne as a prince when his father, Suleyman the Magnificent, campaigned in Persia in 1548.
He also enjoyed hunting on the outskirts of the city.
His love of Edirne, the palace on the Tunca River, and extensive hunting grounds were the reasons why he selected this city rather than Constantinople, as the site of his imperial mosque.
The concept of a complex of public buildings surrounding a mosque was an Ottoman invention.
Earlier, only the combination of a mosque and a midres had been used in Islamic architecture.
Adding a hospital, a soup kitchen, a hotel or a bath to this set was a uniquely Ottoman tradition.
The mosque is widely regarded as Sinan's crowning masterpiece, and Sinan himself regarded it as his best work.
The biggest feature that distinguishes Selim II from other mosque architectures is its dome, which was built as a single dome without any support from any half dome.
Surprising those who do research on architecture and engineering, the dome is 43 meters high and 32 meters in diameter.
Selim II has four minarets with three balconies, as thin as a pencil and decorated like a lace, and the length of the minarets is 85 meters.
Considering the conditions of the period, three people coming out of the minaret cannot see each other, as the minarets, where the incredible has been achieved, are designed with three ways.
On June 28, 2011, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee added the Selim II Mosque and Complex to the World Heritage List as a result of the voting.