page_title: Minaret
section_title: Local styles
hierarchical_section_title: Minaret / Local styles
caption_attribution_description: The Süleymaniye Mosque (Turkish: Süleymaniye Camii, Turkish pronunciation: [sylejˈmaːnije]) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the largest mosque in the city, and one of the best-known sights of Istanbul. ARCHITECTURE Exterior As with other imperial mosques in Istanbul, the mosque itself is preceded by a monumental courtyard (avlu) on its west side. The courtyard at the Süleymaniye is of exceptional grandeur with a colonnaded peristyle with columns of marble, granite and porphyry. At the four corners of the courtyard are the four minarets, a number only allowable to mosques endowed by a sultan (princes and princesses could construct two minarets; others only one). The minarets have a total of 10 galleries (serifes), which by tradition indicates that Suleiman I was the 10th Ottoman sultan. The main dome is 53 meters high and has a diameter of 27.5 meters. At the time it was built, the dome was the highest in the Ottoman Empire, when measured from sea level, but still lower from its base and smaller in diameter than that of Hagia Sophia. Interior Interior of the Süleymaniye. The interior of the mosque is almost a square, 59 meters in length and 58 meters in width, forming a single vast space. The dome is flanked by semi-domes, and to the north and south arches with tympana-filled windows, supported by enormous porphyry monoliths. Sinan decided to make a radical architectural innovation to mask the huge north-south buttresses needed to support these central piers. He incorporated the buttresses into the walls of the building, with half projecting inside and half projecting outside, and then hid the projections by building colonnaded galleries. There is a single gallery inside the structure, and a two-story gallery outside. The interior decoration is subtle, with very restrained use of Iznik tiles. The white marble mihrab and mimbar are also simple in design, and woodwork is restrained, with simple designs in ivory and mother of pearl. Complex As with other imperial mosques in Istanbul, the Süleymaniye Mosque was designed as a külliye, or complex with adjacent structures to service both religious and cultural needs. The original complex consisted of the mosque itself, a hospital (darüşşifa), primary school, public baths (hamam), a Caravanserai, four Qur'an schools (medrese), a specialized school for the learning of hadith, a medical college, and a public kitchen (imaret) which served food to the poor. Many of these structures are still in existence, and the former imaret is now a noted restaurant. The former hospital is now a printing factory owned by the Turkish Army. In the garden behind the main mosque there are two mausoleums (türbe) including the tombs of sultan Suleiman I, his wife Roxelana (Haseki Hürrem), his daughter Mihrimah, his mother Dilaşub Saliha and his sister Asiye. The sultans Suleiman II, Ahmed II and Safiye (died in 1777), the daughter of Mustafa II, are also buried here. Just outside the mosque walls, to the north is the tomb of architect Sinan [Wikipedia.org]
context_page_description: Minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets serve multiple purposes. While they provide a visual focal point, they are generally used for the Muslim call to prayer. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, a cap and head. They are generally a tall spire with a conical or onion-shaped crown.
context_section_description: Central Asia
  During the Seljuk period, minarets were highly decorated with geometric and calligraphic design. They were built prolifically, even at smaller mosques or mosque complexes. Additionally, minarets during the Seljuk period were characterized by their circular plans and octagonal bases. The Bukhara minaret remains the most well known of the Seljuk minarets for its use of brick patterns and inscriptions.
  The "international Timurid" style surfaced in central Asia during the 17th century and is categorized by the use of multiple minarets. Examples of this style include the minarets on the roof of the south gate in Akbar's Tomb at Sikandra (1613), the minarets on the Tomb of Jahangir (1628-1638), as well as the four minarets surrounding the mausoleum of the Taj Mahal.
  Egypt
  The styles of minarets have varied slightly throughout the history of Egypt. Most minarets were on a square base, however, the shaft could be plain or decorated and topped with various crowns and pavilions. The tiers of the minaret are often separated by balconies.
  The Mosque of al-Hakim, built between 990 and 1010, has a square base with a shaft that tapers towards the crown.
  East China
  Eastern Chinese minarets were heavily influenced by the Islamic minarets of Iran. They often had circular platforms and cylindrical shafts with decorative patterns of the Chinese landscape. The Tower of Light, also known as the Guangta minaret (1350), merges aspects of Islamic and Chinese architecture.
  Iraq
  The Great Mosque of Samarra (848–852) is one of the earliest minarets and is characterized by a 30-metre-high (98 ft) cylindrical tower outside the walls of the mosque. A common Abbasid style of minaret, also seen in Iraq, is characterized by a structure with a polygonal base and a thick cylindrical shaft. It is also typically found on the roof of the mosque.
  Two examples of this style are the Mosque of al-Khaffafin and the Mosque of Qumriyya.
  Iran
  The minarets of 12th century Iran often had cylindrical shafts with square or octagonal bases that taper towards their capitals. These minarets became the most common style across the Islamic world. These forms were also highly decorated. Pairs of minaret towers that flank the mosque entrance originate from Iran.
  Southeast Asia
  Tower minarets were not as common in Southeast Asia as mosques were designed to function more as community structures. Mosques were designed to be much smaller and occasionally contained staircase minarets.
  Tunisia
  The minaret at the Great Mosque of Kairouan, built in 836, influenced all other minarets in the Islamic west. It is the oldest minaret in the Muslim world.
  Turkey
  The Seljuks of Rum, a successor state of the Seljuks, built paired portal minarets from brick that had Iranian origins.
  In general, minarets in Anatolia were singular and received decorative emphasis while the mosque remained plain. The minarets were used at the corners of mosques, as seen in the Divrigi Great Mosque.
  The Ottoman empire continued the Iranian tradition of cylindrical tapering minaret forms with a square base. Minarets were often topped with crescent moon symbols. Use of more than one minaret, and larger minarets, was used to show patronage.
  For example, the Suleymaniye Dome has minarets reaching 70 meters.
  West Africa
  West African minarets are characterized by glazed ceramics that allowed the structures to take on new monumental forms. Typically, they are a single, square minaret with battered walls. Notable exceptions include a few octagonal minarets in northern cities - Chefchaouen, Tetouan, Rabat, Ouezzane, Asilah, and Tangier - and the round minaret of Moulay Idriss.
caption: The Süleymaniye Mosque in Turkey has minarets reaching 70 meters.
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