Suleymaniye Mosque

Entry to Suleymaniye costs nothing, and on a weekday morning the prayer hall may hold a dozen visitors rather than the hundreds you meet at the Blue Mosque. The mosque crowns the third of the city's seven hills, about 15 minutes on foot uphill from the Grand Bazaar. Ask most architects to name the finest mosque in Istanbul and this is the one they pick first.

Key facts

History in brief

Between 1550 and 1557, Mimar Sinan, chief architect to the Ottoman court, raised this mosque for Suleiman the Magnificent. It formed the heart of a big charitable complex with shops, a hamam, a hospital, religious schools, a soup kitchen and a caravanserai. Many of those buildings survive around the mosque and now house offices, libraries and restaurants. Of the hundreds of buildings Sinan designed, he described this one as his journeyman work, the stage before his masterpiece in Edirne. His own modest tomb, which he designed himself, stands in the complex's north corner.

Highlights

• The prayer hall. Brighter and simpler than the Blue Mosque, beneath a dome roughly 53 metres high. Ornament is kept modest: carved marble, stained glass and a handful of tile panels near the mihrab.
• The sound. Sinan set clay jars into the dome so that sound would carry. Talk softly and notice how far voices travel.
• Royal tombs. Suleiman and Hurrem Sultan rest in the garden at the back of the mosque. Inside Suleiman's eight-sided tomb are fine Iznik tiles; Hurrem's smaller tomb is next to it.
• The terrace in the north garden, facing towards Galata across the Golden Horn. It costs nothing and is quieter than most viewpoints that charge.
• The streets of the complex. Restaurants in the old schools of the complex serve the neighbourhood's famous dish, kuru fasulye (white beans).

When to go

Inside, the quietest time is the morning before the noon prayer. On the terrace, the light over the Golden Horn is best late in the afternoon. Visitors cannot enter on Friday mornings, and it gets crowded in the hour after Friday prayer. The courtyard and gardens remain open when the prayer hall is shut, so use a closure to visit the tombs.

Short tours rarely include Suleymaniye, as it is some distance from Sultanahmet. Longer private itineraries do: our Best of Istanbul private tour of one to three days normally places it on day one or two, and the six-day private tour of Istanbul and Cappadocia stops here while you are in Istanbul, before you fly on to Cappadocia.

Tips

• From Eminonu, the climb through the Tahtakale market lanes is steep but full of interest. Walking down is easier than walking up.
• Scarves and wraps are lent at the entrance, but on busy days it helps to bring your own.
• The tombs keep their own, shorter visiting hours and can close before the mosque does.
• For a half-day loop, pair it with the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar: start at the bazaar, go up to Suleymaniye, then walk down to Eminonu.
• Ten minutes away is the small Rustem Pasha Mosque, another Sinan building, with finer tiles.

Is it for you?

Suleymaniye suits visitors who enjoy architecture, open space and calm. Those expecting the rich colour of the Blue Mosque can find it plain inside, since Sinan worked with proportion and light more than with tiles. Families with young children should note the uphill approach on uneven pavements and the low wall at the garden terrace, which stands above a drop. For photographers at golden hour, the terrace is one of the rare spots where the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn bridges and the Galata Tower fit in one frame with no rooftop fee.

Our Istanbul guide covers more Old City neighbourhoods.

Frequently Asked Questions