Glossary — Sinan

Mimar
his Ottoman title, meaning simply architect
the janissary
the soldiery he began in before he became an engineer
Cappadocia
his Anatolian homeland, which he left as a young soldier
the Suleymaniye
Suleiman's great mosque, which he called the work of his competence
the Selimiye
Selim's mosque in Edirne, which he called his masterpiece of perfection
Edirne
the Selimiye's city in Rumelia, near the empire's western border
Istanbul
the capital of his works, which he filled with buildings
the dome
the element all his great works master — the high dome
three hundred
the count of works the sources attribute to his hand
1588
the year of his death, after half a century of building
Anatolia
his region, from which most of his pupils also came
the minarets
his slender lofty towers that gave Istanbul its distinctive skyline

60-second explainer · Practice set