Quick Guide 23: Architect Sinan
Sinan was born at the end of the 15th century. At the age of about twenty, he was drafted for the service of the sultan.
After being educated in the palace school, he joined some of Sultan Süleyman’s campaigns.
His promotion in the Ottoman army was parallel to his success in architecture and carpentry. At the age of 48, he was appointed Chief of the Imperial Architects, a post he held for half a century during the reign of three different sultans; Süleyman I, Selim II and Murad III.
He was constantly driven by the desire to learn to renew himself, to establish links with the past, present and future and to formulate reliable principles. Sinan retained this characteristic to the end of his life.
The total number of his works was more than 400, consisting of mosques, mescits, medreses, tombs, public kitchens, hospitals, aqueducts, palaces, storehouses, hamams and bridges.
As an architect who built so many works, Sinan never repeated himself, an important feature, and for him, a remarkable achievement.
A major aspect of his talent was the ability to transfer any possible architectural problems into esthetic accomplishments.
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