Mimar Sinan

Mimar Sinan (c. 1488/1490–1588), son of a stonemason born at Ağırnas near Kayseri, was the greatest architect of classical Ottoman architecture and chief royal architect to three sultans, from Suleiman the Magnificent to Murad III. Conscripted in 1512, he trained as a Janissary officer and military engineer, building fortifications, roads, bridges and aqueducts; in 1535 he built ships for the army to cross Lake Van.

After Lütfi Pasha made him Architect of the Abode of Felicity in 1539, commissions followed, including the Şehzade Mosque in the 1540s. Around fifty he became chief royal architect, a post he held for nearly fifty years. Over three hundred major buildings are credited to him, including the Süleymaniye Mosque.

Aged over eighty, he completed the Selimiye Mosque at Edirne, which he called his masterpiece. He died in 1588; his pupil Davud Agha succeeded him. He is often compared with his contemporary Michelangelo.