The extent to which the great Ottoman Empire influenced the rest of Europe can still be seen from the buildings it has left behind, explains Jonathan Glancey.BBC The extent to which the great Ottoman Empire influenced the rest of Europe can still be seen from the buildings it has left behind, explains Jonathan Glancey.BBC
My last article in December in Turkish architectural website Arkitera was about Sinan, via an obscure book I inherited from my father where Sinan's more obscure works were documented and talked about (the frantic pencil destruction on the book might be one of the first drawing attempts of yours truly!).
I am not a Sinan scholar but I have seen many buildings by him. The innovations in these buildings are mind boggling for their time. One had a floating column that gaged the settlements in the foundations that when reached to critical levels, foundations could be propped up (underpinning.)
One of his most famous fans was Bruno Taut who spent last years of his life in Istanbul studying his buildings.
Definitely he had big influence on renaissance architecture that was underrated by historians.
Here are some pages from the book (one showing his drafting compass.)
Glad to see his works getting more attention now.
It was a sad story when one of his bridges, the Mostar Bridge (built by his student Mimar Hayruddin,) was destroyed in the Bosnian war which since was rebuild stone by stone by the efforts of Unesco and Turkish government.
His large masterpieces are Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul and Selimiye Mosque in Edirne.
I find his smaller projects very beautiful and interesting.
I think it is almost a prerequisite to understand Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire if interested in Sinan. He was Sinan's greatest patron.
Feb 15, 10 4:31 pm ·
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My last article in December in Turkish architectural website Arkitera was about Sinan, via an obscure book I inherited from my father where Sinan's more obscure works were documented and talked about (the frantic pencil destruction on the book might be one of the first drawing attempts of yours truly!).
I am not a Sinan scholar but I have seen many buildings by him. The innovations in these buildings are mind boggling for their time. One had a floating column that gaged the settlements in the foundations that when reached to critical levels, foundations could be propped up (underpinning.)
One of his most famous fans was Bruno Taut who spent last years of his life in Istanbul studying his buildings.
Definitely he had big influence on renaissance architecture that was underrated by historians.
Here are some pages from the book (one showing his drafting compass.)
Glad to see his works getting more attention now.
It was a sad story when one of his bridges, the Mostar Bridge (built by his student Mimar Hayruddin,) was destroyed in the Bosnian war which since was rebuild stone by stone by the efforts of Unesco and Turkish government.
His large masterpieces are Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul and Selimiye Mosque in Edirne.
I find his smaller projects very beautiful and interesting.
I think it is almost a prerequisite to understand Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire if interested in Sinan. He was Sinan's greatest patron.
Block this user
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