Süleymaniye Mosque

High on a hill above the Golden Horn, a great grey dome and four slender minarets rise over the rooftops, calm and balanced against the sky. Inside, a vast space of soft light and quiet opens beneath the dome. This is the Süleymaniye Mosque, the masterpiece of the Ottoman empire's greatest architect.

It was built in the middle of the sixteenth century, between 1550 and 1557, by the architect Sinan for Sultan Suleiman, known as the Magnificent, at the height of Ottoman power. Sinan served as chief imperial architect for decades, and this mosque is among the finest of his many works.

Sinan spent his long career perfecting the domed mosque, drawing on the example of Hagia Sophia while refining it into something lighter and more harmonious. The Süleymaniye is where many feel he came closest to perfection within Istanbul itself.

Inside, the great dome seems to float on light, carried on arches and half-domes so that the space feels open and serene rather than heavy. Stained glass, fine tiles, and careful proportions draw the eye upward without clutter, in keeping with the calm of a place of prayer.

A great mosque was never only a mosque. The Süleymaniye stood at the centre of a whole complex of schools, a hospital, kitchens for the poor, baths, and shops, whose rents supported it all. Many of these buildings survive around the mosque, showing how it served the city's daily life.

In the garden behind the mosque lie the tombs of Sultan Suleiman himself and of his powerful wife, often known in the West as Roxelana. Their decorated tomb chambers are open to visitors and tie the building directly to two of the most famous figures of the age.

Because it crowns a hill, the mosque's terraces give some of the best views in the city, out over the Golden Horn, the water, and the domes and minarets of the old town. The view alone rewards the climb up to it.

Many visitors flock to the more famous Blue Mosque and overlook this one, which is quieter and, to many eyes, even finer. Coming here, you often find a calm that the busier mosques have lost, which suits the building's serene character.

This is a living, working mosque, busy at prayer times, so visits are arranged around them, and non-worshippers wait outside during prayers. That rhythm is a reminder that it is a place of devotion first and a monument second.

The streets around the mosque, on the hill above the Golden Horn, are old and characterful, with traditional restaurants famous for their bean stew and workshops tucked into the lanes, well worth a wander before or after a visit.

A few practical notes. Entry is free, as at any mosque, but visitors should dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered and women's hair covered; shoes come off at the door. Avoid prayer times for sightseeing, and step quietly inside.

Sit for a while under the dome, or on the terrace with the city below, and let the calm settle. Nearly five centuries ago an architect set out to raise a perfect space for prayer on this hill, and the result still holds. When you walk back down toward the water, the dome stays in view above the rooftops.