Today is the birthday of (Koca Mi‘mār Sinān Āġā) Mimar Sinan (April 15, 1489 - April 09, 1588), architect. Mimar Sinan was the chief Ottoman architect and civil engineer for sultans Suleiman I, Selim II and Murad III."The son of Greek Orthodox Christian parents, Sinan entered his father’s trade as a stone mason and carpenter. . . He first revealed his talents as an architect in the 1530s by designing and building military bridges and fortifications. In 1539 he completed his first nonmilitary building, and for the remaining 40 years of his life he was to work as the chief architect of the Ottoman Empire at a time when it was at the zenith of its political power and cultural brilliance. The number of projects Sinan undertook is massive—79 mosques, 34 palaces, 33 public baths, 19 tombs, 55 schools, 16 poorhouses, 7 madrasahs (religious schools), and 12 caravansaries, in addition to granaries, fountains, aqueducts, and hospitals. His three most famous works are the Şehzade Mosque and the Mosque of Süleyman I the Magnificent, both of which are in Istanbul, and the Selim Mosque at Edirne." direct quote source (1)
Mimar Sinan died in 1588 and his body rests in a tomb outside the Sulemaniye Mosque. Ornate as his creations were, his own tomb is surprisingly a simple one, which lies across a street named after him.
Trivia bit: As crater in Mercury has also been named after him.
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