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114-553: Built in 1554 by the Ottoman master architect Mimar Sinan , the 60-metre-long (200 ft) and 4.50-metre-wide (14.8 ft) bridge has four arches.. This article about a Turkish building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a bridge in Europe is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about transport in Turkey

228-738: A Roman vassal, to " Caesarea in Cappadocia " (to distinguish it from other cities with the name Caesarea in the Roman Empire) in honour of Caesar Augustus upon his death. This name was rendered as Καισάρεια ( Kaisáreia ) in Koine Greek , the dialect of the later Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire , and it remained in use by the natives (nowadays known as Cappadocian Greeks , due to their spoken language, but then referred to as Rum due to their previous Roman citizenship) until their expulsion from Turkey in 1924. (Note that letter C in classical Latin

342-406: A UNESCO World Heritage Site . At the start of his career as an architect, Sinan had to deal with an established, traditional domed architecture. His training as an army engineer led him to approach architecture from an empirical point of view, rather than from a theoretical one. He started to experiment with the design and engineering of single-domed and multiple-domed structures. He tried to obtain

456-579: A billion dollars in export revenues in 2007. Its environment is regarded as especially favourable for small and medium enterprises . The Kayseri Free Zone established in 1998 now has more than 43 companies with an investment of 140 million dollars. The Zone's main business activities include production, trading, warehouse management, mounting and demounting, assembly-disassembly, merchandising, maintenance and repair, engineering workshops, office and workplace rental, packing-repacking, banking and insurance, leasing, labelling and exhibition facilities. Kayseri FTZ

570-484: A community centre and serving the social needs and the health problems of the faithful. When Sinan died, classical Ottoman architecture had reached its climax. No successor was gifted enough to better the design of the Selimiye Mosque and to develop it further. His students retreated to earlier models, such as the Şehzade mosque. Invention faded away, and a decline set in. According to the official list of his works,

684-407: A conception of a whole. An architect could sketch a plan for a new building and an assistant or foreman knew what to do, because novel ideas were avoided. Moreover, architects used an extravagant margin of safety in their designs, resulting in a wasteful use of material and labour. Sinan would gradually change all this. He was to transform established architectural practices, amplifying and transforming

798-474: A day to Ankara . To the east there are two train routes, one to Kars and the other to Tatvan at the western end of Lake Van . As the city is located in central Turkey, road transportation is very efficient. It takes approximately three hours to reach Ankara, the same to the Mediterranean coast and 45 minutes to Cappadocia . A notable ski resort in winter and accessible for trekking in summer, Mt Erciyes

912-572: A formidable department with a great number of assistants, finished this formidable task in seven years. Before Süleymaniye, no mosques had been built with half cubic roofs. He got the idea of half cubic roof design from the Hagia Sophia . Through this monumental achievement, Sinan emerged from the anonymity of his predecessors. Sinan must have known the ideas of the Renaissance architect Leone Battista Alberti (who in turn had studied De architectura by

1026-564: A functioning hamam with separate sections for men and women dating back to 1238. Near the mosque is the Sahabiye Medresesi , a theological school dating back to 1267 with a magnificent portal typical of Seljuk architecture. Very similar is the Avgunlu Medresesi which now serves as a large bookshop-cum-cafe in a park. In Mimar Sinan Park stands the Çifte Medresesi , a pair of Seljuk-era theological schools that eventually served as

1140-510: A group of Turkish scholars. Proponents of the racial science popular at the time, they claimed that measurements of Sinan's skull proved that he was actually Turkish. As of 2016, the skull is missing. His name is also given to: Sinan's portrait was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 10,000 lira banknotes of 1982–1995 and a 7 500 000 lira coin of 2001 (in the "millennium" series), also on 6 postage stamps: 100 lira 1957 (400th anniversary of

1254-458: A hillside beyond Ayvansaray. Sinan certainly conceived the plans and partly supervised the construction, but left the building of lesser areas to less than competent hands, since Sinan and his most able assistants were about to begin his masterpiece, the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne. On the outside, the mosque rises high, with its east wall pierced by four tiers of windows. This gives the mosque an aspect of

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1368-539: A hospital for those with psychiatric disorders. They were commissioned by the Seljuk sultan Giyasettin I Keyhüsrev and his sister, Gevher Nesibe Sultan , who is buried inside. Today the buildings house the Museum of Seljuk Civilisations. Another Seljuk survivor is the grand Halikılıç Mosque complex which has two spectacular entrance portals. It dates back to 1249 but was extensively restored three centuries later. Post-dating

1482-563: A house traditionally associated with him is open to the public as a museum. Beneath it there is one of the 'underground cities' so typical of Cappadocia . The restored Church of Saint Procopius dates back to 1857 and serves as a cultural centre. The small town of Develi also contains some attractive old houses. The 19th-century Armenian Church of Saint Mary has been turned into the Lower Everek Mosque ( Turkish : Aşağı Everek Cami ). Kayseri received notable public investments in

1596-598: A large monastic complex, the Basileiad, in Caesarea Mazaca in the 4th century. Nothing remains of it today. The city stood on a low spur on the north side of Mount Erciyes ( Mount Argaeus in antiquity). Very few traces of the ancient site now survive. For more on the Roman and Byzantine eras see Caesarea (Mazaca) . The Arab general, and later the first Umayyad Caliph , Muawiyah invaded Cappadocia and took Caesarea from

1710-513: A master of archery, while at the same time, as an architect, learning the weak points of structures when gunning them down. In 1535 he participated in the Baghdad campaign as a commanding officer of the Royal Guard. In 1537 he went on expeditions to Corfu and Apulia and Moldavia . During these campaigns he proved himself an able architect and engineer. When the Ottoman army captured Cairo , Sinan

1824-492: A member of their own family. Less popular theories among scholars are that Sinan was Albanian , or even Jewish , or Christian Turkish . According to the Encyclopædia Britannica , Sinan had either Armenian or Greek origin. A local tradition in the village of Shiroka Lăka holds that Sinan was of Bulgarian origin and his family came from that village. Turkish scholars have meanwhile argued that Sinan's family

1938-465: A mosque in one of his most imaginative designs, using new support systems and lateral spaces to increase the area available for windows. He built a central dome 37 m (121 ft) high and 20 m (66 ft) wide, supported by pendentives , on a square base with two lateral galleries, each with three cupolas. At each corner of this square stands a gigantic pier, connected with immense arches each with 15 large windows and four circular ones, flooding

2052-437: A new geometrical purity, a rationality and a spatial integrity in his structures and designs of mosques. Through all this, he demonstrated his creativity and his wish to create a clear, unified space. He started to develop a series of variations on the domes, surrounding them in different ways with semi-domes, piers, screen walls and different sets of galleries. His domes and arches are curved, but he avoided curvilinear elements in

2166-565: A new site inside the walls. Kayseri Clock Tower , built in the early 20th century by Abdülhamid II , is located in the city center and remains a recognizable landmark. Bürüngüz Mosque , constructed in the 13th century, is an example of Seljuk architecture and is still in use today. Surp Asdvadzadzin Virgin Mary Church Research Library , located within the Surp Asdvadzadzin Church. The Atatürk House Museum

2280-577: A novice of the Ibrahim Pasha School. Possibly, he was given the Islamic name Sinan there. He initially learned carpentry and mathematics but through his intellectual qualities and ambitions, he soon assisted the leading architects and got his training as an architect. During the next six years, he also trained to be a Janissary officer ( acemioğlan ). He possibly joined Selim I in his last military campaign, Rhodes according to some sources, but when

2394-451: A number of historic monuments, particularly from the Seljuk period. Tourists often pass through Kayseri en route to the attractions of Cappadocia to the west. Kayseri is served by Erkilet International Airport and is home to Erciyes University . Kayseri was originally called Mazaka or Mazaca ( Armenian : Մաժաք , romanized :  Mažak' ; according to Armenian tradition, it

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2508-466: A palace or even a block of apartments. Inside, there are three broad galleries making the interior look compact. The heaviness of this structure makes the dome look unexpectedly lofty. These galleries look like a preliminary try-out for the galleries of the Selimiye Mosque . In this late stage of his life, Sinan tried to create unified and sublimely elegant interiors. To achieve this, he eliminated all

2622-571: A perfect God. Sinan used subtle geometric relationships, using multiples of two when calculating the ratios and the proportions of his buildings. However, in a later stage, he also used divisions of three or ratios of two to three when working out the width and the proportions of domes, such as the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque at Kadırga. While he was fully occupied with the construction of the Süleymaniye, Sinan or his subordinates drew up

2736-417: A significant role in the city's educational offerings, providing specialized medical training and research opportunities. These institutions collectively contribute to Kayseri's growing reputation as an educational hub. Kayseri's cuisine includes several traditional dishes that are characteristic of the region. Mantı , a small dumpling filled with minced meat and commonly served with yogurt and spiced butter,

2850-511: A spacious, high-vaulted basement, slender minarets, single-domed baldacchino , flanked by three semi-domes ending in three exedrae and a broad double portico . The construction was finished in 1548. The construction of a double portico was not a first in Ottoman architecture, but it set a trend for country mosques and mosques of viziers in particular. Rüstem Pasha and Mihrimah required them later in their three mosques in Constantinople and in

2964-467: A strong work ethic. According to an op-ed in The Irish Times , "The city's streets are not crowded with luxury cars, and the homes in its wealthiest neighborhoods are relatively modest compared to European standards. Rather than conspicuous consumption, wealth is often reinvested into the community." Philanthropy plays an important role in the city, aligning with the Islamic emphasis on charity. Kayseri

3078-564: A theoretical one. But the same can be said of the great Western Renaissance architects, such as Brunelleschi and Michelangelo . Various sources state that Sinan was the architect of at least 374 structures which included 92 mosques ; 52 small mosques ( mescit ); 55 schools of theology ( medrese ); 7 schools for Koran reciters ( darülkurra ); 20 mausoleums ( türbe ); 17 public kitchens ( imaret ); 3 hospitals ( darüşşifa ); 6 aqueducts ; 10 bridges ; 20 caravanserais ; 36 palaces and mansions ; 8 vaults ; and 48 baths . Sinan held

3192-511: A work of his apprenticeship period and the Süleymaniye Mosque , which is the work of his qualification stage. The Selimiye Mosque in Edirne is the product of his master stage. Şehzade Mosque is the first of the grand mosques created by Sinan. The Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, which is also known as the Üsküdar Quay Mosque, was completed in the same year and has an original design with its main dome supported by three half domes. When Sinan reached

3306-404: Is 30 minutes from the city centre. Within the city transportation largely relies on buses and private vehicles although there is also a light rail transit (LRT) system called Kayseray which runs to the inter-city bus terminal and to Talas. The city had two professional football teams competing in top-flight Turkish football. Kayserispor and Kayseri Erciyesspor simultaneously play in

3420-516: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan ( Ottoman Turkish : معمار سينان , romanized :  Mi'mâr Sinân ; Turkish : Mimar Sinan , pronounced [miːˈmaːɾ siˈnan] ; c.  1488/1490 – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ , ("Sinan Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman

3534-679: Is a central public space in Kayseri, surrounded by notable buildings. Inside the centre of Kayseri the most unmissable reminder of the past are the huge basalt walls that once enclosed the old city. Dating back to the sixth century and the reign of the Emperor Justinian , they have been repeatedly repaired, by the Seljuks , by the Ottomans and more recently by the current Turkish government. In 2019 Kayseri Archaeology Museum moved from an outlying location to

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3648-475: Is a large city in Central Anatolia , Turkey , and the capital of Kayseri province . Historically known as Caesarea , it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since ancient times. The Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality area is composed of five districts: the two central districts of Kocasinan and Melikgazi , and since 2004, also outlying Hacılar , İncesu , and Talas . As of 31 December 2021,

3762-455: Is a private, non-profit school in the Kocasinan district, serving kindergarten through high school. Middle East Technical University Development Foundation Kayseri College follows METU 's educational philosophy, offering a comprehensive curriculum. Talas American College , established in 1871, has a rich legacy as an American school and continues to influence the region's education. Although

3876-458: Is another popular specialty in the region and is commonly included in breakfasts or cooked with eggs. Stuffed zucchini flowers are a seasonal dish prepared with a filling of minced meat, garlic, and spices. The flowers are carefully stuffed and then baked or steamed. This dish highlights the use of locally sourced ingredients in Kayseri's cuisine. Nevzine is a traditional dessert made from tahini, molasses, and walnuts, soaked in syrup. This dessert

3990-671: Is buried beside it although it was only completed by the Seljuks after his death. There are many magnificent reminders of the Seljuk supremacy in and around the walls as well as many much smaller kümbets (domed tombs) of which the most impressive is the Döner Kümbet ( lit. Revolving Tomb). The oldest surviving Seljuk place of worship – and the oldest Seljuk mosque built in Turkey – is the Hunat Hatun Mosque Complex which still includes

4104-472: Is disputed, mainly between Armenian , and Cappadocian Greek . One argument that lends credence to his Armenian or Greek background is a decree by Selim II dated Ramadan 7 981 (ca. December 30, 1573), which granted Sinan's request to forgive and spare his relatives from the general exile of Kayseri's Armenian community to the island of Cyprus ; this decree was published in the June 1930-May 1931 edition of

4218-423: Is known for its privately funded institutions, including schools, clinics, sports facilities, and community centers, reflecting a focus on communal support and development. The city is served by Erkilet International Airport (ASR) which is a short distance from the centre of Kayseri. It offers several flights a day to Istanbul. Kayseri is connected to the rest of country by rail services. There are four trains

4332-564: Is located in a house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk stayed, providing historical context about the early years of the Turkish Republic. The National Struggle Museum focuses on the history of the Turkish War of Independence and the role of Kayseri in the formation of the modern Turkish state. The Grand Mosque ( Turkish : Ulu Cami ) was started by the Danişmend emir Melik Mehmed Gazi who

4446-537: Is markedly different from the additive plans of traditional Ottoman architecture. Sedefkar Mehmed Agha would later copy the concept of fluted piers in his Sultan Ahmed Mosque in an attempt to lighten their appearance. Sinan, however, rejected this solution in his next mosques. By 1550, Suleiman the Magnificent was at the height of his powers. Having built a mosque for his son, he felt it was time to construct his own imperial mosque , an enduring monument larger than all

4560-453: Is one of the cheapest land free zones in the world. A group of social scientists have traced the economic success of Kayseri, a city in central Turkey, to a modernist Islamic outlook referred to as "Islamic Calvinism." This concept is drawn from Max Weber 's influential 1905 essay, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism , which argued that the "this-worldly asceticism" of Calvinism

4674-428: Is one of the city's signature dishes. Known for its fine preparation, Kayseri-style mantı is distinguished by the small size of the dumplings. Pastırma is a type of air-dried, cured beef, seasoned with a paste made from garlic, fenugreek, and spices. It is often thinly sliced and served as an appetizer or used in other dishes. Sucuk , a dry, fermented sausage made from ground beef and seasoned with garlic and red pepper,

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4788-462: Is the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne . Breaking free of the handicaps of traditional Ottoman architecture, this mosque marks the climax of Sinan's work and of all classical Ottoman architecture. While it was being built, the architect's saying of " You can never build a dome larger than the dome of Hagia Sophia and specially as Muslims " was his main motivation. When it was completed, Sinan claimed that it had

4902-462: Is the city's largest research university . It currently has 13 faculties, six colleges, and seven vocational schools, with over 3,100 staff members and 41,225 students. Nuh Naci Yazgan University , founded in 2009, is the only private university in the region. Kayseri University , established more recently, contributes to the city's academic landscape with a focus on a diverse curriculum. University of Health Sciences Kayseri Medical School also plays

5016-905: Is the nearly 635 m (2,083 ft) long Büyükçekmece Bridge. Other important examples are the Ailivri Bridge, the Old Bridge in Svilengrad on the Maritsa, the Lüleburgaz (Sokullu Mehmet Pasha) Bridge on the Lüleburgaz River, the Sinanlı Bridge over the river Ergene and the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge over Drina river in Bosnia and Herzegovina . While Sinan was maintaining and improving

5130-454: Is the older and very atmospheric Vezir Han which was commissioned in the early 18th century by Nevşehir -born Damad İbrahim Paşa who became a grand vizier to Sultan Ahmed III before being assassinated in 1730. The Kayseri suburb of Talas was the ancestral home of Calouste Gulbenkian , Aristotle Onassis and Elia Kazan . Once ruinous following the expulsion of its Armenian population in 1915 and then of its Greek population in 1923, it

5244-587: The Byzantines temporarily in 647. The city was called Kaisariyah ( قيصرية ) by the Arabs, and later Kayseri ( قیصری ) by the Seljuk Turks after it was captured by Alp Arslan in 1067. Alp Arslan's forces demolished the city and massacred its population. The shrine of Saint Basil was also sacked after the fall of the city. As a result, the city remained uninhabited for the next half century. From 1074 to 1178

5358-594: The Rüstem Pasha Mosque , as a memorial supervised by his widow Mihrimah Sultan . It is situated just below the Süleymaniye . This time the central form is octagonal, modelled on the monastery church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus , with four small semi-domes set in the corners. In the same year, Sinan built a türbe for Rüstem Pasha in the garden of the Şehzade Mosque , decorated with the finest tiles Iznik could produce. Mihrimah Sultan, having doubled her wealth after

5472-665: The Stari Most bridge in Mostar . The son of a stonemason, he received a technical education and became a military engineer. He rose rapidly through the ranks to become first an officer and finally a Janissary commander, with the honorific title of Sinan. He refined his architectural and engineering skills while on campaign with the Janissaries, becoming expert at constructing fortifications of all kinds, as well as military infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges and aqueducts . At about

5586-572: The Sublime Porte to submit plans for a bridge spanning the Golden Horn . Mimar Sinan's works are among the most influential buildings in history. Mimar Sinan was born with the name Joseph in a small town called Ağırnas near the city of Kayseri in Anatolia (as stated in an order by Sultan Selim II ). His birth is variously placed either between 1489 and 1491 or between 1494 and 1499. His origin

5700-624: The Sultan Ahmed Mosque and Mimar Hayruddin , architect of the Stari Most . He is considered the greatest architect of the classical period of Ottoman architecture and has been compared to Michelangelo , his contemporary in the West. Michelangelo and his plans for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome were well known in Istanbul, since Leonardo da Vinci and he had been invited, in 1502 and 1505 respectively, by

5814-646: The Süper Lig , making Kayseri one of only two cities having more than one team in Spor Toto Süper Lig 2013–14 (the other being Istanbul ). In 2006 Kayserispor became the only Turkish team to have won the UEFA Intertoto Cup . Kayserispor is the remaining professional team in the city, playing in the top flight as of 2023. The Erciyes Ski Resort on Mount Erciyes is one of the largest ski resorts in Turkey. The women's football club Kayseri Gençler Birliği

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5928-491: The Tezkiretü'l Ebniye , during his 50 year tenure of the post of imperial architect Sinan constructed or supervised 476 buildings, 196 of which survive. He could not possibly have designed them all, but relied on the skills of his office. He took credit and the responsibility for their work. As a janissary , and thus a slave of the sultan, his primary responsibility was to the sultan. In his spare time, he also designed buildings for

6042-595: The White Tower of Thessaloniki , as well as Muradie Mosque , during Suleiman the Magnificent's stay in the town for the preparation of his expedition towards Italy . In 1541, he started the construction of the mausoleum ( türbe ) of the Grand Admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa . It stands on the shore of Beşiktaş on the European part of Istanbul, at the site where his fleet used to assemble. Oddly enough,

6156-757: The 18th and 19th centuries were subjected to wholesale demolition starting in the 1970s. The building that hosted the Kayseri Lyceum was rearranged to host the Turkish Grand National Assembly during the Turkish War of Independence when the Greek army was advancing on Ankara , the base of the Turkish National Movement. Kayseri has a continental climate ( Köppen : Dsa , Trewartha : Dc ). It experiences cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers with cool nights. Precipitation occurs throughout

6270-770: The 1920s and 1930s. Sümer Fabric Factory and Kayseri Tayyare Fabrikası ( English : Kayseri Aeroplane Factory) were set up here in the Republican Era with the help of German and particularly Russian experts. The latter manufactured the first aircraft made in Turkey in the 1940s. After the 1950s, the city suffered from a decrease in the amount of public investment. It was, however, during the same years that Kayseri businessmen and merchants transformed themselves into rural capitalists. Members of Turkish business families such as Sabancı , Has , Dedeman , Hattat , Kurmel , Özyeğin , Karamanlargil and Özilhan started out as small-scale merchants in Kayseri before becoming prominent actors in

6384-498: The 2010s an erstwhile small, local ski resort was developed into more of an international attraction with big-name hotels and facilities suitable for all sorts of winter pastimes. The archaeological site of Kanesh-Kültepe , one of the oldest cities in Asia Minor , is 20 km northeast of Kayseri. Ağırnas , a small town with many lovely old houses, was the birthplace in 1490 of the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan , and

6498-595: The Iskele Mosque, the sultan ordered Sinan to build a new major mosque with an adjoining complex in memory of his favourite son. This Şehzade Mosque would become larger and more ambitious than his previous ones. Architectural historians consider this mosque as Sinan's first masterpiece. Obsessed by the concept of a large central dome, Sinan turned to the plans of mosques such as the Fatih Pasha Mosque in Diyarbakır or

6612-664: The Istanbul Turkish journal Türk Tarihi Encümeni Mecmuası . Godfrey Goodwin stated that "after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571, when Selim II decided to repopulate the island by transferring Rum (Orthodox Christian) families from the Karaman Eyalet , Sinan intervened on behalf of his family and obtained two orders from the Sultan in council exempting them from deportation." According to several scholars, this means that his family

6726-660: The Magnificent , Selim II and Murad III . He was responsible for the construction of more than 300 major structures, including the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne , the Kanuni Sultan Suleiman Bridge in Büyükçekmece , and the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad , as well as other more modest projects such as madrasa's, külliyes , and bridges. His apprentices would later design the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul and

6840-430: The Magnificent is an interesting experiment, with an octagonal body and flat dome. The Selim II Mausoleum with has a square plan and is one of the best examples of Turkish mausoleum architecture. Sinan's own mausoleum, which is located in the north-east part of the Süleymaniye complex on the other hand, is a very plain structure. Sinan masterfully combined art with functionalism in the bridges he built. The largest of these

6954-440: The Piri Pasha Mosque in Hasköy . He must have visited both mosques during his Persian campaign. Sinan built a mosque with a central dome, this time with four equal half-domes. This superstructure is supported by four massive, but still elegant, free-standing octagonal fluted piers and four piers incorporated in each lateral wall. In the corners, above roof level, four turrets serve as stabilizing anchors. This coherent concept already

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7068-447: The Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius ), since he too was concerned in building the ideal church, reflecting harmony through the perfection of geometry in architecture. But, contrary to his Western counterparts, Sinan was more interested in simplification than in enrichment. He tried to achieve the largest volume under a single central dome. The dome is based on the circle, the perfect geometrical figure representing, in an abstract way,

7182-402: The Rüstem Pasha Mosque in Tekirdağ . The inner portico traditionally have stalactite capitals while the outer portico has capitals with chevron patterns ( baklava ). When sultan Suleiman the Magnificent returned from another Balkan campaign, he received news that his son Şehzade Mehmed had died at the age of twenty-two. In November 1543, not long after Sinan had started the construction of

7296-418: The Seljuks is the Güpgüpoğlu Mansion which dates back to the early 15th century but is open to the public with the furnishings it would have had in the late 19th century when it was home to the poet and politician Ahmed Midhad Güpgüpoğlu. Close to the walls is Kayseri's own Kapalı Çarşı ( Turkish : Kapalı Çarşı ), still a bustling commercial centre selling cheap clothes, shoes and much else. Deep inside it

7410-421: The Sultan died, this project ended. Two years later he witnessed the conquest of Belgrade . Under the new sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent , he was present, as a member of the Household Cavalry, at the Battle of Mohács . He was promoted to captain of the Royal Guard and then given command of the Infantry Cadet Corps. He was later stationed in Austria, where he commanded the 62nd Orta of the Rifle Corps. He became

7524-408: The Taṣ Han at Erzurum . He designed a caravanserai in Eregli and an octagonal madrasah in Constantinople. Between 1553 and 1555, Sinan built the Sinan Pasha Mosque at Beşiktaş , a smaller version of the Üç Şerefeli Mosque at Edirne , for the Grand Admiral Sinan Pasha . This proves again that Sinan had thoroughly studied the work of other architects, especially since he was responsible for

7638-421: The Turkish economy. Despite setting up their headquarters in cities such as Istanbul and Adana , they often returned to Kayseri to invest. Thanks to the economic liberalisation policies introduced in the 1980s, a new wave of merchants and industrialists from Kayseri joined their predecessors. Most of these new industrialists choose Kayseri as a base of their operations. As a consequence of better infrastructure,

7752-522: The admiral is not buried there, but in his türbe next to the Iskele mosque. This mausoleum has been severely neglected since then. Mihrimah Sultan , the only daughter of Suleiman and Hurrem and wife of the Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha gave Sinan the commission to build a mosque with medrese (college), an imaret (soup kitchen) and a sibyan mekteb (Qur'an school) in Üsküdar . The imaret no longer exists. This Iskele Mosque (or Jetty mosque) already shows several hallmarks of Sinan's mature style:

7866-406: The age of 70, he had completed the Süleymaniye Mosque complex. This building, situated on one of the hills of Istanbul facing the Golden Horn, and built in the name of Süleyman the Magnificent, is one of the symbolic monuments of the period. The diameter of the dome, which exceeds the 31 m (102 ft) of the Selimiye Mosque which Sinan completed when he was 80, is the most outstanding example of

7980-542: The age of fifty, he was appointed as chief royal architect, applying the technical skills he had acquired in the army to the "creation of fine religious buildings" and civic structures of all kinds. He remained in this post for almost fifty years. His masterpiece is the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne , although his most famous work is the Suleiman Mosque in Istanbul . He headed an extensive governmental department and trained many assistants who, in turn, distinguished themselves; these include Sedefkar Mehmed Agha , architect of

8094-421: The area was under the control of the Danishmendids who rebuilt the city in 1134. The Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate controlled the city from 1178 to 1243 and it was one of their most important centres until it fell to the Mongols in 1243. Within the walls lies the greater part of Kayseri, rebuilt between the 13th and 16th centuries. The city then fell to the Eretnids before finally becoming Ottoman in 1515. It

8208-524: The chief officials. He delegated to his assistants the construction of less important buildings in the provinces. Some of his works: Sinan died in AH  996 (1587–88 CE) and is buried in a tomb in Istanbul , a türbe of his own design, just to the north of the Süleymaniye Mosque , across a street named Mimar Sinan Caddesi in his honour. He was buried near the tombs of his greatest patrons: Sultan Süleyman I and Sultana Haseki Hürrem , Suleiman's wife. Above

8322-484: The city has achieved remarkable industrial growth since 2000, causing it to be described as one of Turkey's Anatolian Tigers . The pace of growth of the city was so fast that in 2004 the city applied to the Guinness Book of World Records for the most new manufacturing industries started in a single day: 139 factories. Kayseri also has emerged as one of the most successful furniture-making hub in Turkey earned more than

8436-601: The corners at an angle of 45 degrees. Clearly, Sinan must have appreciated this form, since he repeated it later in mosques such as the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque at Kadırga and the Atik Valide Mosque at Üsküdar . In 1556, Sinan built the Haseki Hürrem Sultan Hamamı , replacing the antique Baths of Zeuxippus , which are still standing close to the Hagia Sophia . This would become one of

8550-525: The death of her husband, now wanted a mosque of her own. Sinan built the Mihrimah Mosque at Edirnekapı (Edirne Gate) for her on the highest of the seven hills of Constantinople. He raised the mosque on a vaulted platform, accentuating its hilltop site. There is some speculation concerning the dates; until recently this was supposed to be between 1540 and 1540, but now it is generally accepted to be between 1562 and 1565. Sinan, concerned with grandeur, built

8664-634: The flow of supplies within the Ottoman Empire. He was also responsible for the design and construction of public works, such as roads, waterworks and bridges. Through the years he transformed his office into that of Architect of the Empire, an elaborate government department, with greater powers than his supervising minister. He became the head of a whole Corps of architects, training a team of assistants, deputies and pupils. His training as an army engineer gave Sinan an empirical approach to architecture rather than

8778-606: The interior with light. The style of this revolutionary building was as close to the Gothic style as Ottoman structure permits. In 1566 Sinan completed the Banya Bashi Mosque in Sofia , Bulgaria , currently the only functioning mosque in the city. His first mosque in Sofia was built in 1528; popularly known as Imaret Mosque or Black Mosque due to the dark colour of its building stone, it

8892-564: The iron-grilled prayer window of his tomb is an epitaph written in Ottoman Turkish by the poet Mustafa Sai. It gives the year of his death and records that Sinan built 400 masjids (small mosques), 80 Friday mosques and the Kanuni Sultan Suleiman bridge at Büyükçekmece . In the position of chief imperial architect he was succeeded by Davud Agha , one of the architects who had worked under him. In 1935, his remains were exhumed by

9006-406: The largest dome in the world, leaving Hagia Sophia behind. In fact, the dome height from the ground level was lower and the diameter barely larger (0.5 meters, approximately 2 feet) than the millennium-older Hagia Sophia. However, measured from its base the dome of Selimiye is higher. Sinan was more than 80 years old when the building was finished. In this mosque he finally realized his aim of creating

9120-415: The lateral galleries far away, he increased the three-dimensional effect. The many windows in the screen walls flood the interior with light. The buttressing semi-domes are set in the four corners of the square under the dome. The weight and the internal tensions are hidden, producing an airy and elegant effect rarely seen under a central dome. The four minarets (83 m high) at the corners of the prayer hall are

9234-463: The level of achievement reached by Sinan. Mimar Sinan reached his artistic peak with the design, architecture, tile decorations and land stone workmanship displayed at Selimiye. Another area of architecture where Sinan produced unique designs are his mausoleums. The Mausoleum of Şehzade Mehmed is notable for with its exterior decorations and sliced dome. The Rüstem Paşa mausoleum is a very attractive structure in classical style. The mausoleum of Süleyman

9348-462: The library of Topkapı Palace , dictated by Sinan to his friend and biographer Mustafa Sâi Çelebi. In these manuscripts, Sinan divulges some details of his youth and military career. His father is referred to as "Abdülmennan" (literally " Servant of the Generous and Merciful One "), a title which was commonly used in the Ottoman period to define the non-Muslim father of a Muslim convert. In 1512, Sinan

9462-574: The most beautiful hamams he ever constructed. In 1559, he built the Cafer Ağa madrasah below the forecourt of the Hagia Sophia. In the same year he began the construction of a small mosque for Iskender Pasha at Kanlıca , beside the Bosphorus. This was one of the many minor and routine commissions the office of Sinan received over the years. In 1561, when Rüstem Pasha died, Sinan began the construction of

9576-705: The opening of the Suleymaniye Mosque), 50 lira 1988 (400th anniversary of Sinan's death) and a set of 4 issued on 14 November 2007 (60, 70, 70 & 80 Kurus - Sinan and his works). Sinan is portrayed in Elif Shafak 's 2013 novel The Architect's Apprentice , with the fictional main character becoming his apprentice. Sinan, also called Mimar Sinan ("Architect Sinan") or Mimar Koca Sinan ("Great Architect Sinan") (born c. 1490, Ağırnaz, Turkey—died July 17, 1588, Constantinople [now Istanbul]), Kayseri Kayseri ( Turkish pronunciation: [ˈkajseɾi] )

9690-412: The optimum, completely unified, domed interior: a triumph of space that dominates the interior. He used this time an octagonal central dome (31.28 m wide and 42 m high), supported by eight elephantine piers of marble and granite. These supports lack any capitals but have squinches or consoles at their summit, leading to the optical effect that the arches seem to grow integrally out of the piers. By placing

9804-557: The others, to be built on a gently sloping hillside dominating the Golden Horn . Money was no problem, since he had accumulated a treasure from the loot of his campaigns in Europe and the Middle East. He gave the order to Sinan to build a mosque, the Süleymaniye , surrounded by a külliye consisting of four colleges, a soup kitchen, a hospital, an asylum, a hamam , a caravanserai and a hospice for travellers ( tabhane ). Sinan, now heading

9918-541: The plans and gave instructions for many other constructions. Sinan built a mosque for the Grand Vizier Pargalı İbrahim Pasha and a mausoleum ( türbe ) at Silivrikapı (Constantinople) in 1551. The next Grand Vizier, Rüstem Pasha gave Sinan several more commissions. In 1550 he built a large inn ( han ) in the Galata district of Istanbul. About ten years later he built another han in Edirne , and between 1544 and 1561

10032-457: The position of chief architect of the palace, which meant being the overseer of all construction work of the Ottoman Empire, for nearly 50 years, working with a large team of assistants consisting of architects and master builders. The development and maturing stages of Sinan's career can be illustrated by three major works. The first two of these are in Istanbul: the Şehzade Mosque , which he calls

10146-430: The province had a population of 1,434,357 of whom 1,175,886 live in the four urban districts, excluding İncesu which is not conurbated, meaning it is not contiguous and has a largely non-protected buffer zone . Kayseri sits at the foot of Mount Erciyes ( Turkish: Erciyes Dağı ), a dormant volcano that reaches an altitude of 3,916 metres (12,848 feet), more than 1,500 metres above the city's mean altitude. It contains

10260-634: The residence of the kings of Cappadocia . In ancient times, it was on the crossroads of the trade routes from Sinope to the Euphrates and from the Persian Royal Road that extended from Sardis to Susa during the 200+ years of Achaemenid Persian rule. In Roman times, a similar route from Ephesus to the East also crossed the city. Basil of Caesarea , one of the Cappadocian Fathers, established

10374-405: The resolution of the tensions created by the design. He was an innovator in the use of decoration and motifs, merging them into the architectural forms as a whole. He accentuated the centre underneath the central dome by flooding it with light from the many windows. He incorporated his mosques in an efficient way into a complex ( külliye ), serving the needs of the community as an intellectual centre,

10488-404: The rest of his design, transforming the circle of the dome into a rectangular, hexagonal or octagonal system. He tried to obtain a rational harmony between the exterior pyramidal composition of semi-domes, culminating in a single drumless dome, and the interior space where this central dome vertically integrates the space into a unified whole. His genius lies in the organization of this space and in

10602-415: The school is no longer active, its historical contributions to education in Kayseri continue to be remembered. Kayseri is home to four public universities and one private university . Abdullah Gül University , established in 2010, is the first public university in Turkey with legal provisions for support by a philanthropic foundation dedicated entirely to its work. Erciyes University , founded in 1978,

10716-616: The tallest in the Muslim world, accentuating the vertical posture of this mosque that already dominates the city. He also designed the Sulaymaniyya Takiyya in Damascus , Syria, considered to have marked the introduction of the Ottoman architectural style to the city. He has also built Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge across the Drina River in Višegrad , Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is now

10830-410: The traditions by adding innovations, trying to approach perfection. During these years he continued the traditional pattern of Ottoman architecture, but he gradually began exploring other possibilities, because during his military career he had had the opportunity to study the architectural monuments in the conquered cities of Europe and the Middle East. His first opportunity to design a major building

10944-483: The unnecessary subsidiary spaces beyond the supporting piers of the central dome. This can be seen in the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in Kadırga, Istanbul (1571–1572) and in the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne. In other buildings of his final period, Sinan experimented with spatial and mural treatments that were new in the classical Ottoman architecture. According to him from his autobiography Tezkiretü'l-Bünyan , his masterpiece

11058-483: The upkeep of these buildings. He copied the old form, pondered over the weaknesses in the construction and tried to solve this with his own solution. In 1554, Sinan used the form of the Sinan Pasha mosque again for the construction of the mosque for the next Grand Vizier Kara Ahmet Pasha in Constantinople, his first hexagonal mosque. By using a hexagonal plan, Sinan could reduce the side domes to half-domes and set them in

11172-536: The water supply system of Istanbul, he built arched aqueducts at several locations within the city. The Mağlova Arch over the Alibey River, which is 257 m (843 ft) long and 35 m (115 ft) high, has two tiers of arches, and is one of the best examples of its kind. At the start of Sinan's career, Ottoman architecture was highly pragmatic. Buildings were repetitions of former types and were based on rudimentary plans. They were more an assembly of parts than

11286-542: The wife of the sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent . He had to follow the plans drawn by his predecessors. Sinan retained the traditional arrangement of the available space without any innovations. Nevertheless, it was already better built than the Aleppo mosque and it shows a certain elegance. However, it has suffered from many restorations. Sinan is credited to have built a defensive tower in Vlorë , south Albania , in 1537, very similar to

11400-408: The year, albeit with a marked decrease in late summer and early fall. The city of Kayseri consists of sixteen metropolitan districts: Akkışla, Bünyan, Develi, Felâhiye, Hacılar, İncesu, Kocasinan, Melikgâzi, Özvatan, Pınarbaşı, Sarıoğlan, Sarız, Talas, Tomarza, Yahyâlı, and Yeşilhisar. Kayseri features a range of historical and cultural attractions that reflect the city's heritage. Cumhuriyet Square

11514-496: Was Cappadocian Greek because the only Orthodox Christians ( Rûms ) of the region were Greek-speaking. Sinan's place of birth, Ağırnas , was a Greek village with no Armenian inhabitants, which some scholars argue would give more credence to the theory of him being of Greek origin. Additionally, before the Greeks evacuated the village, a Cappadocian Greek family from the village named Taşçıoğlu ( Greek : Ταστσιόγλου) had claimed Sinan as

11628-533: Was Christian Turkish . In 1935, a council commissioned by the Turkish Historical Society went so far as to open up Sinan's tomb and measure his skull so as demonstrate his Turkish "racial" heritage. Sinan grew up helping his father in his work, and by the time that he was conscripted would have had a good grounding in the practicalities of building work. There are three brief records (Anonymous Text; Architectural Masterpieces; Book of Architecture) in

11742-575: Was conscripted into Ottoman service under the devshirme system. He was sent to Constantinople to be trained as an officer of the Janissary Corps and converted to Islam. He was too old to be admitted to the imperial Enderun School in the Topkapı Palace but was sent instead to an auxiliary school. Some records claim that he might have served the Grand Vizier Pargalı İbrahim Pasha as

11856-464: Was damaged by an earthquake and abandoned in the 19th century. In the 1560s he built the Kirkcesme water supply system for Istanbul. It is seen as a masterpiece of his work. It spans 55 km and includes 35 aqueduct bridges , 4 of which are notable for their height (up to 35m) as well as their length (up to 700m). Between 1560 and 1566 Sinan built a mosque in Constantinople for Zal Mahmud Pasha on

11970-699: Was during the reign of the Seljuks (1178–1243), when the city was the second capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum . The relatively short Seljuk period left a large number of historic landmarks including the Hunat Hatun Complex , the Kiliç Arslan Mosque, the Ulu Camii (Grand Mosque) and the Gevher Nesibe Hastanesi (Hospital). As Mazaca ( Ancient Greek : Μάζακα ), the city served as

12084-473: Was founded by and named after Mishak) and was known as such to the geographer Strabo , during whose time it was the capital of the Roman province of Cappadocia , known also as Eusebia at the Argaeus ( Εὐσέβεια ἡ πρὸς τῷ Ἀργαίῳ in Greek ), after Ariarathes V Eusebes , King of Cappadocia (r. 163–130 BC). In 14 AD its name was changed by Archelaus (d. 17 AD), the last King of Cappadocia (r. 36 BC–14 AD) and

12198-521: Was given the title Haseki'i , Sergeant-at-Arms in the body guard of the Sultan, a rank equivalent to that of the Janissary Ağa. When Chelebi Lütfi Pasha became Grand Vizier in 1539, he appointed Sinan, who had previously served under his command, to the office of Architect of the Abode of Felicity. This was the start of a remarkable career. The job entailed the supervision infrastructure construction and

12312-459: Was largely reconstructed in the early 21st century. The Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Mary , built in 1888, has been converted into the Yaman Dede Mosque. Similarly attractive is the suburb of Germir , home to three 19th-century churches and many fine old stone houses. Mount Erciyes ( Turkish : Erciyes Dağı ) looms over Kayseri and serves as a trekking and alpinism centre. During

12426-527: Was promoted to chief architect and was given the privilege of tearing down any buildings in the captured city that were not according to the city plan. During the campaign in the East, he assisted in the building of defences and bridges, such as a bridge across the Danube . He converted churches into mosques. During the Persian campaign in 1535 he built ships for the army and the artillery to cross Lake Van . For this he

12540-654: Was promoted to the Women's First League for the 2020–21 League season. Kayseri High School ( Ottoman Turkish : Kayseri Mekteb-i Sultanisi , lit. the Imperial School of Kayseri), founded in 1893, is one of Turkey's oldest high schools. It has a long history of providing quality education and has played a key role in the region's educational development. Nuh Mehmet Küçükçalık Anadolu Lisesi , established in 1984, offers education in English . TED Kayseri College , founded in 1966,

12654-529: Was pronounced K. When the first Turks arrived in the region in 1080 AD, they adapted this pronunciation, which eventually became Kayseri in Turkish, remaining as such ever since.) Kayseri experienced three golden ages. The first, dating to 2000 BC, was when the city formed a trade post between the Assyrians and the Hittites . The second came under Roman rule from the 1st to the 11th centuries. The third golden age

12768-592: Was the Hüsrev Pasha Mosque and its double medresse in Aleppo , Syria. It was built in the winter of 1536-1537 for his commander-in-chief and the governor of Aleppo between two army campaigns. It was built hastily and this is evident in the coarseness of execution and the crude decoration. His first major commission as the royal architect was the construction of the Haseki Sultan Complex for Hurrem Sultan ,

12882-508: Was the centre of a sanjak called initially the Rum Eyalet (1515–1521) and then the Angora vilayet (founded as Bozok Eyalet, 1839–1923). The Grand Bazaar dates from the latter part of the 1800s, but the adjacent caravanserai , where merchant traders gathered before forming a caravan, dates from around 1500. The town's older districts which were filled with ornate mansion-houses mostly dating from

12996-441: Was the driving force behind the development of modern capitalism. In a similar vein, these scholars suggest that the religious and cultural practices in Kayseri, rooted in a modern interpretation of Islam, fostered values such as hard work, thrift, and entrepreneurial spirit, which contributed to the city's economic growth. In Kayseri, a notable characteristic of the local culture is a form of austerity, which can be observed alongside

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