Mimar Koca Sinan (1489–1588), the most celebrated of all Ottoman Empire architects, is particularly renowned for his contributions to the cityscape of Istanbul. During his fifty-year career he designed hundreds of buildings, and his distinctive architectural idiom left its imprint on the terrain of a vast empire extending from the Danube to the Tigris.
Sinan’s mosques are considered among his best work, and with their light-filled centralized domes, remain a testament to his inventive spirit and passion for experimentation. In this major study of Sinan’s extraordinary buildings, Gülru Necipoglu argues that Sinan’s rich variety of mosque designs sprang from a process of negotiation between the architect and his patrons, rather than from unrestrained formal experimentation. Using primary source material, Necipoglu describes how Sinan created a layered system of mosque types, reflecting social status and territorial rank.
Reviews
Table of Contents
Abbreviations
Introduction: Contextualizing Sinan
Part I: Architectural Patronage in the Classical Period
Chapter 1: Imperial Territory, Social Hierarchy, and Identity
Chapter 2: The Legal Apparatus and Memory
Chapter 3: Culture of Architecture and Decorum
Part II: The Chief Architect as an Individual and Institution
Chapter 4: Portrait of the Divine Maestro
Chapter 5: Institutional Frameworks of Architectural Practice
Part III: Interpreting Mosques and Mosque Complexes Attributed to Sinan
Chapter 6: Sultans, Princes and Vassals
Chapter 7: Queens: Wives and Mothers of Sultans
Chapter 8: Princesses and their Husbands
Chapter 9: Grand Viziers
Chapter 10: Viziers
Chapter 11: Grand Admirals
Chapter 12: Provincial Governors and Administrators
Rumelia
Western and Central Anatolia
Eastern Anatolia
Syria and the Arab Lands
Chapter 13: Officers of the Imperial Council and Other Dignitaries
Chapter 14: Aghas and Attendants of the Inner Imperial Palace
Chapter 15: Merchants and Tradesmen
Epilogue: Sinan’s Legacy
References
Appendices (1–4)
Select Bibliography
Maps (1–5)
Photographic Acknowledgements
Index