Kayseri
Sinan was born in the village of Aghirnas near Kayseri in Anatolia around 1490.
Sinan's First Mosque
The Anatolian boy who became the Ottomans' greatest architect — in twelve cards.
The carpenter
He learned carpentry and stonework from his father — his hand grew expert in materials.
The levy
He was taken in the devshirme levy to Constantinople and became a Janissary.
The bridges
In the wars he built bridges and siege works, and the army knew him as an engineer.
The post
In 1538 he was appointed chief architect to Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver.
Şehzade
His first great work: the Şehzade Mosque for the sultan's late son Mehmed.
The dome
A dome centred on four half-domes — a balance no hand had made before.
Süleymaniye
Then the Süleymaniye: a small city with schools, kitchen, hospital and cemetery.
The mathematics
He measured every angle and weight, never laying a stone before the base was calculated.
The earthquakes
His mosques survived five centuries of Constantinople's earthquakes and still stand.
Selimiye
In Edirne he built the Selimiye and said: here I arrived — a dome beyond Hagia Sophia.
The legacy
He built three hundred works and died in 1588; his students call him the world's master builder.
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- Kayseri
Sinan was born in the village of Aghirnas near Kayseri in Anatolia around 1490. - The carpenter
He learned carpentry and stonework from his father — his hand grew expert in materials. - The levy
He was taken in the devshirme levy to Constantinople and became a Janissary. - The bridges
In the wars he built bridges and siege works, and the army knew him as an engineer. - The post
In 1538 he was appointed chief architect to Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver. - Şehzade
His first great work: the Şehzade Mosque for the sultan's late son Mehmed. - The dome
A dome centred on four half-domes — a balance no hand had made before. - Süleymaniye
Then the Süleymaniye: a small city with schools, kitchen, hospital and cemetery. - The mathematics
He measured every angle and weight, never laying a stone before the base was calculated. - The earthquakes
His mosques survived five centuries of Constantinople's earthquakes and still stand. - Selimiye
In Edirne he built the Selimiye and said: here I arrived — a dome beyond Hagia Sophia. - The legacy
He built three hundred works and died in 1588; his students call him the world's master builder.