Which Ottoman sultan ordered the construction of the Süleymaniye Mosque?

Sultan Suleiman I ordered the construction of the Süleymaniye Mosque. Built in Istanbul between 1550 and 1557, it was designed by the Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan and became one of the defining monuments of Suleiman’s reign.

The mosque complex, or külliye, included schools, a hospital, a public kitchen, a library, shops, and tombs. This made it more than a place of worship: it was a major social and educational institution serving the surrounding community. Its hilltop position above the Golden Horn also gave it a commanding place in Istanbul’s skyline.

Süleymaniye was deliberately intended to rival the grandeur of earlier imperial monuments, especially the Hagia Sophia. Suleiman was buried in a mausoleum in the complex, alongside his daughter Mihrimah Sultan. Mimar Sinan himself was buried nearby.

A common mix-up is confusing the mosque with the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, which Sinan designed later for Suleiman’s son, Selim II.