Why go
Many Istanbul residents will tell you that the Süleymaniye, not the Blue Mosque, is the city’s finest mosque. It was built between 1550 and 1557 for Süleyman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Ottoman sultan, by Mimar Sinan, the empire’s great architect, and it crowns the third of the city’s hills above the Golden Horn. The prayer hall is vast but calm, with a great dome, plain light-filled walls and fine İznik tiles used sparingly around the mihrab. It sees far fewer visitors than Sultanahmet, so it is easier to take it in at your own pace. Entry is free.
What to see
Inside, the scale is the first thing you notice: the central dome rises about 53 metres, supported by four huge piers, and rows of windows light the hall evenly. The mihrab wall glows with İznik tiles and stained glass, and the carved marble minbar is a masterpiece in its own right. Outside, the mosque sits at the centre of a külliye, a complex that once included schools, a hospital, a soup kitchen, a caravanserai and a bath house, many of which still stand around the outer courtyard. In the walled garden behind the mosque are the tombs of Süleyman and of his wife Hürrem Sultan, known in Europe as Roxelana. Sinan himself is buried in a modest tomb at the northern corner of the complex, close to the house where he is thought to have lived. The cemetery beside the mosque, shaded by trees and full of carved Ottoman headstones, is a peaceful place to sit for a few minutes.
Behind the mosque, a terrace gives one of the best free views in Istanbul, across the Golden Horn to Galata and up the Bosphorus.
Plan your visit
The Süleymaniye is a working mosque. It is open to visitors from morning until evening, but closes to sightseeing during each of the five daily prayers and for longer around the Friday noon prayer, so a weekday morning or mid-afternoon is best. There is no ticket, and donations are welcome. Cover your shoulders and knees, and women should cover their hair; shoes come off at the door and are carried in a bag. Do not walk in front of people praying or photograph them.
Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the mosque, the tombs and the terrace. The streets around the complex are lined with small restaurants serving kuru fasulye, white beans in tomato sauce, a local lunchtime tradition. There are public toilets and an ablution area near the outer courtyard. The mosque is about ten minutes’ walk from Vezneciler on the M2 metro, or a steady fifteen-minute climb from the Eminönü waterfront through busy market streets.
Nearby
The Grand Bazaar is about ten minutes’ walk south, past Istanbul University’s grand gateway on Beyazıt Square. Walk downhill through the market streets of Tahtakale and you reach the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, famous for its tiles, and the Spice Bazaar in about fifteen minutes. The Galata Bridge and the Eminönü ferries are just beyond.