Mimar Armen Sinanian

[Vigil]

1489-1588 AD Mimar Armen Sinanian

 

AKA in his Turkified name...

 

Mimar Sinan

 

An unusually gifted architect and engineer, Sinan designed and constructed structures of all sorts, from palaces and mosques to hospitals and aqueducts, in and around Constantinople. In 1538 he became the chief architect of Suleiman the Magnificent. During his long career, Sinan also designed projects for several other sultans.

 

He is an architect who grew up in one of the most splendid periods of the Ottoman State, and who contributed to this era with his works.

 

Various sources state that Sinan was the architect of around 360 structures which included 84 mosques, 51 small mosques ("mescit"), 57 schools of theology ("medrese"), 7 schools for Koran reciters ("darülkurra"), 22 mausoleums ("türbe"), 17 Alm Houses ("imaret"), 3 hospitals ("darüssifa"), 7 aquaducts and arches, 48 inns ("Caravansarai"), 35 palaces and mansions, 8 vaults and 46 baths. Sinan, who held the position of chief architect of the palace, which meant being the top manager of construction works of the Ottoman Empire, for nearly 50 years, worked with a large team of assistants consisting of architects and master builders.

 

The development and maturing stages of Sinan can be marked with three major works. The first two of these are in Istanbul - Sehzade Mosque which he calls his apprenticeship period work, Süleymaniye Mosque which is the work of his qualification stage, and Selimiye Mosque in Edirne the product of his master stage. Sehzade Mosque is the first of the grand mosques Sinan has created. Mihrimah Sultan Mosque which is also known as the Uskudar Quay Mosque was completed in the same year and has an original design with its main dome supported by three half domes. When Sinan reached the age of 70, he had completed the Süleymaniye Mosque and its Complex. This building, situated on one of the hills of Istanbul facing the Golden Horn, and built in the name of Süleyman the Magnificent between 1550-57, is one of the symbolic monuments of the period. The diameter of the dome which exceeds 31 meters at Selimiye Mosque which Sinan completed when he was 80, is the most significant example of the level of achievement Sinan reached in architecture. Mimar Sinan has reached his artistic summit with the design, architecture, tile decorations, land stone workmanship displayed at Selimiye.

 

Another area of architecture where Sinan delivered unique projects are the mausoleums. Mausoleum of Sehzade Mehmed gets attention with its exterior decorations and sliced dome. Rüstem ***** mausoleum is a very attractive structure in classical style. The mausoleum of Süleyman the Magnificent which is one of his most interesting experimentations has an octagonal body and flat dome. Selim II Mausoleum with has a square plan and is one of the best examples of Turkish mausoleum architecture. Sinan's own mausoleum which is located at the north-east part of the Süleymaniye complex on the other hand, is a very plain structure.

 

Sinan, in the bridges he built, has masterfully combined art with functionalism. The largest of his work in this group is the nearly 635 m. long Büyükçekmece Bridge in Istanbul. Other significant examples are Silivri Bridge outside of Istanbul, Lüleburgaz (Sokullu Mehmet *****) Bridge on Lüleburgaz River, Sinanli Bridge over Ergene River and Drina Bridge which has became the title of the famous novel of Yugoslav author Ivo Andriç.

 

While Sinan was maintaining and improving the water supply system of Istanbul, he has built arched aqueducts at several locations within the city. Maglova Arch over Alibey River, which is 257 meter long, 35 meters high and displaying two layers of arches is one of the best samples of its kind.

Edited May 31, 2004 by Vigil

[gurgen]

Yes he was Armenian.

 

The Turks ofcourse deny this fiercely but the proof is indisputable. He was born in an Armenian village and during his career he has repeatedly filed requests with the government for protecting of his family in his native village. Their Armenian names are noted, yet the Turks deny everything.

 

Another example that the Turks should thank us on their knees crying that we at least gave them a bit of culture.

[the real pontian]

I'm sorry guys but Kayseri is not a region were Armenians settled. It's highly probable that he was of Greek origin and converted to Islam within the Janissary Corps...

 

 

The Life of Sinan

 

 

Sinan was born a Christian, probably Greek, in a village near Kayseri in central Anatolia at the turn of the sixteenth century. In about 1512 he was enrolled in the Janissary Corps, an elite wing of the Ottoman army whose members were all taken from Christian families converted to Islam and trained to fight for the Sultan. Sinan was taught the trade of carpentry, at which he clearly excelled. He participated in many military campaigns ranging from Central Europe to Iran and Iraq and received regular promotions. In his role of military engineer he oversaw the building of fortifications, ships and bridges, making his reputation most decisively when he constructed a bridge over the River Pruth in Moldavia in just a few days. During his extensive travels for military purposes he must have seen fine examples of the architecture of several civilizations, and taken note of their qualities. On the basis of his exceptional talents and flair for organization, he was appointed chief architect to the Sultan in 1538. From then until his death at the age of at least ninety he was responsible, with the assistance of a corps of architects for the design and construction of over four hundred buildings. While he cannot personally have designed all of them or visited them during construction, there can be little doubt that he exercised full authority over a significant number of exceptional buildings, a few of which will be analyzed here.

[gamavor]

Pontian, Trabzon also was Armenian!

 

As to Kessaria, yes there were many Armenians there. Acctualy I know at least 1 dozen living now in USA, who were originaly from Kaysery. I've heard the story that he might have been Greek, however I never met any Greeks with names like Armen.

[Arpa]

There were no Armenians in Kesaria?

Grigor the Illuminator who christianized Armenia lived there almost 50 years from the 239 to 287 AD where he was ordained a bishop and moved to Dvin. Was he the only Armenian there? I doubt it.

As to Sinan's ethinicty, as Gamavor indicated there are documents to prove it. In the year 1573 Sultan Selim II ordered the Armenians of Kesaria to be exiled to Cyprus en masse. Sinan wrote to the Sultan pleading that his family be spared and the Sultan agreed. This is documented and was published in the June 5, 1930 edition of the periodical "Turk Tarikhi Enjumeyi Mejmousas", (Annals of Turkish History).

All one has to do is look at his portrait and observe his nose!!!

As to his religion, there is no indication one way or the other, by all assumptions he was still a christian.

Stories of the sort remind me of debates about the Karsh brothers' ethnicity. The famous photographers. Even after their assertions on numerous occasionas of their Armenian origin there are and still are some who try to prove that they were either Assyrian or some such, solely based on the fact that they did not have the obligatory -ian surname.

 

Lastly, how many Greeks do you with the "sinan..." surname. Look in any phone book or search on the net to see how many Sianians there are.

[koko]

Sinan is indeed armenian. Most of the artchitect behind all the mosks and palaces in todays turkey were armenian, and not greek.

not only in turkey, look in iran..their famous bridge, dont recall the name, was built by armenians/armenian architecture, and also a few moskees.

Edited April 12, 2004 by koko

[gamavor]

I mentioned Trabzon not by accident. Some time ago we were talking about other architectural gems created or designed by Armenians. We also talked about Hemshinli - the Islamized Armenians who somehow kept their language and some of their customs.

We also talked about the thousands of other 'gorsevatz' Armenians, be it as Greeks, Persians or even Anglos.

What I meant were Hye-Horoms, or otherwise known as the Eastern Orthodox under Byzantine rite Armenians who were totally immersed into the Greek life and have lost any connection with their ethnic roots.

[THOTH]

Last summer when I travelled to Turkey I stayed at a very nice B&B in Cappadocia - in the city of Mustfa***** - a place called the Old Greek House (highly recommended - wonderful place and about the best food I've ever had in Turkey). Anyway - when I informed the owner that i was Armenian - he spoke of knowing Armenians in Kayseri - now - currently - so I would surmise that there are and were Armenians in Kayseri.

 

As for Sinan - it seems that both the Greeks and Armenians claim him..could he have perhasp been both? Who really knows it would seem...

[the real pontian]

Hi,

i'm sorry apparently there have been some Armenians in this region even though it's not the on the brim of the known settlement areas.

 

And Trabzon (Trapezounta)... I won't give it to any one of you

 

Now to Sinan:

 

His Ermen or Armen by-name is not at all current. The name Sinanian is not that widespread for Greek Ottomans, whereas the name Sinanoglou is very well known and documented. :-)

 

 

In fact most of the sources say that he is of Greek origin. Look at this for example:

 

SINAN , born in 895/1490, the chief Ottoman court architect the chief Ottoman court architect from 945/1538 until his death in 996/1588. Although the names of several other Ottoman court architects are known, none match his fame. Combining a long life with the opportunities afforded by the resources of the Ottoman empire at its zenith, he produced an œuvre that is unmatched in quantity and quality, not just in Ottoman, but in Islamic architecture as a whole. Of Christian Greek origin, he was recruited in the devshirme levy within the reign of Sultan Seim I (1512-20). He first participated in a military campaign at Belgrade in 1521 under Süleyman, and subsequently, until his appointment as court architect, in locations as far apart as Vienna (1529) and Balgrad (1535). He would have had the opportunity to learn his profession in the repair and erection of military architecture, such as bridges and citadels and, in the early 1530s, in building mosques in Istanbul between campaigns.(...) EI, IX, 629a.

 

Some of the more in-depth sources to consult on this subject:

 

G. Goodwin, A history of Ottoman  |  [iX:630b]  architecture , London 1971

 

D. Kuban, art. Sinan, in Macmillan Encyclopaedia of Architects, ed. A.K. Placzek, London 1982, iv, 62-73

 

J.M. Rogers, The state and the arts in Ottoman Turkey. The stones of Süleymaniye, in IJMES , xiv [1982], 71-86, 283-313

 

Jale Erzen, Sinan as anti-classicist, in ibid., v [1988], 70-86

 

M. Sözen, Sinan, architect of ages, Istanbul 1988 (full bibl.)

 

G. Goodwin, Sinan. Ottoman architecture and its values today, London 1993.

 

 

 

Have a nice day.

 

The RRReal Pontian

[koko]

EDIT Edited April 12, 2004 by koko

[the real pontian]

It's me again. My first sentence is appallingly truncated. Here the correct one.

 

Hi,

i'm sorry apparently there have been some Armenians in this region even though it's on the brim of the known settlement areas.

 

bye,

tha rrreal pontian

[the real pontian]

UPPERCASE KOKO, (which might be interpreted as YELLING that I refrain from).

 

why should "they" prefer the Greek man to the Armenian man...???

 

And why are all the architects Armenian?? Isn't it a bit too arbitrary to claim this beyond doubt...

 

?

 

Give me them sources...

 

bye,

tha rrrrrrreal pontian

[koko]

I will give you the source later on, about sinan Edited April 12, 2004 by koko

[gamavor]

And Trabzon (Trapezounta)... I won't give it to any one of you

 

I'm not asking whether you are giving it. I'm simly taking it.

[the real pontian]

take it ...

 

if you can.

[gamavor]

Pontian, why I do have the feeling that you became "Pontian" as a matter of nomadic wondering in this world? With the same rate of success you could have became Caribean? Do you know the meaning of being Pontian? It is not stealing - it is called culture! You see, you stole our Trabzon, but you couldn't and will never stole the spirit that will retake it and return it to the rightful owners - be it with nukes, money or by invitation to Europe. So hold your breath, because I'm taking back what is mine. You can have Central Asia - after all it belongs to you. Edited April 12, 2004 by gamavor

[Twilight Bark]

A few quick points, and none has anything to do with primary sources etc., but underlying themes.

 

Contemporary Turkish culture is infinitely more at ease with their Greek "heritage" than it is with anything to do with Arm... , I mean Erm.., actually Alb.., you know, those despicable people whose name must not be mentioned, and have the audacity to have survived. So Turkish sources would easily blurt out the word "Greek", and be done with the "problem" of Sinan's origins and move on to "Ottoman glory". And western authors that are either in debt of their Turkish sources, or simply too naive to question the veracity of what's coming from what they consider "the horse's mouth", are only happy to repeat it.

 

"Greek"s of Anatolia are largely Hellenized Anatolians, much in the same way as they were later Turkified, using similar methods of "persuasion". The only "pride" Greeks can extract from the accomplishments of Anatolian "Greek"s is the efficiency with which their original identities were erased and hijacked.

 

Having said these, I have seen no evidence that Sinan was Greek, or "Greek". But more importantly in my view, this whole argument over who provided the slave that served the Ottoman masters brilliantly is quite pathetic. Almost the entire collection of "Ottomon cultural accomplishments" were done by subject peoples, and the Ottoman rulers in fact encouraged that. So he is squarely in the Ottoman tradition, to the extent that we allow such a tradition to exist in our minds.

Edited April 12, 2004 by Twilight Bark

[the real pontian]

i don't get your point gamavor. Central Asia???? You forget that the Caucasian people are very ancient in this area - no need to travel that much (even in Trabzon) ... more ancient than Armenian. So stay where you are ...

 

 

twilight bark,

 

do you live in turkey?

 

 

It's ridiculous to claim that Greeks have been "turkicised" (by the way, a word which came into existence in 19th century) and Armenians just could resist this and stayed pure and clean. A lot of high dignitaries in Ottoman history are known as being Jews, Armenians, Albanians, Macedonians, (even) French (Bonneval ***** for example). Why should Turks try to conceal this if the clear cases are pointed out in order to show how Armenians and others were implied in Ottoman social and political life. They were even the most privileged people for a long period.

 

Nowadays many people like the musician Cem Karaca are well known Armenians converted to Islam.

 

In Turkey there are still living considerable numbers of Kurds, Circassians, Georgians, Laz, Pontians, Greek, Jews, Arabs, Abazas, Yörük, etc. and luckily we are free now to speak and publish in our respective languages ...

 

How many ethnicities exist still there in Armenia? They are all wiped out. Cleansed.

 

The art of Ottoman/ Turkish rule was to combine and forge all these elements to one culture in a way that no one is able to tell what belongs to whom.

 

It is just too oversimplistic to qualify Turks as brutal barbarians who contributed in no way to the Ottoman culture. People who know about Ottoman culture know that there are many great spirits among Turks.

 

Im a "Turk" of Greek/Pontian and most probably Laz or Georgian origin (to end your presumptions).

 

Please stop your exclusive claims on territories which are shared by Kurds, Assyrians, Turks, Pontians, Zaza, Armenians, Laz, Circassian etc. Perhaps these territories now lie in so-called Turkey but they belong to ALL of us. If they became Armenian territory they would just be cleansed as Armenia has been cleansed.

 

 

now you're free to leash out at me (i am used to this kind of bashing)

 

the rrrrrrrrreal pontian

[gamavor]

I will not leash at you for nothing.

First, I don't know who told you that Armenia is cleansed. Probably this is part of the propaganda machine in your so-called country. Today in Armenia there are Kurds, Jews, Yezidis, Russians, Georgians, Molokans (religious Russian minority), and I'm told few Germans. I'm also told that there are Moslems too (Kurds not included). Ethnic cleansing and brutal anti-himan barbarism against GIAVURS is Turkish patent.

Second, none of todays' ethnic groups living in Caucasus (north and south) could trace their ancestry beyond 11 century with two notable exceptions. Armenians and Georgians. Not becuase Caucasus was not populated, but becuase the demographics of the regions were changing rapidly due to the invasions of your kin who at one point chose to be Caucasians and at other point Turks whichever was expedient.

Third, large number of today's Turks are genetically Greeks, Armenians or simply as you put it Caucasians who were forced to accept Islam and hence turkified.

You, yourself claim to be of Greek origin so you should know this. Ottoman Empire after 18 century was a joke. The biggest achievement of the Ottomans was the administration, based on warfare, that created a strong and fierce war machine.

Besides that everything was fake and unhuman.

[Twilight Bark]

It's ridiculous to claim that Greeks have been "turkicised"

Why would that be?

 

 

(by the way, a word which came into existence in 19th century)

Irrelevant.

 

and Armenians just could resist this and stayed pure and clean.

Who said that? "Turkification" of the subject peoples means that Turks are the ones that are no longer "pure and clean", not vice versa.

 

A lot of high dignitaries in Ottoman history are known as being Jews, Armenians, Albanians, Macedonians, (even) French (Bonneval ***** for example). Why should Turks try to conceal

They don't whenever they can't or is against whatever argument they are making at that given moment. They first have their cake, and the next moment, they will proceed to eat it too.

 

They were even the most privileged people for a long period.

A pointless point.

 

In Turkey there are still living considerable numbers of Kurds, Circassians, Georgians, Laz, Pontians, Greek, Jews, Arabs, Abazas, Yörük, etc. and luckily we are free now to speak and publish in our respective languages ...

Ah yes, Turkey is just a minority's paradise.

 

How many ethnicities exist still there in Armenia?

Yes, isn't it just annoying that there is a little piece of land where Armenians can be Armenians? I mean, when they can be 8th [Edit: I should have said 11th, counting the number of ethnic groups listed by our "Turk"ish guest] class citizens in the minority's paradise next door? The only minorities that were "wiped out", were the "Tatars" (later called Azeris), in the same enlightened (!) spirit of "population exchange" that happened between Turkey And Greece. It's not pretty, but it's not "wiping out" in the sense of what the "minority's paradise" next door routinely carried out. And once established, Armenia had a very, very liberal attitude towards the cultural autonomy of its minorities.

 

The art of Ottoman/ Turkish rule was to combine and forge all these elements to one culture in a way that no one is able to tell what belongs to whom.

Yeah. Tell that to your government and its propagandists, not me.

 

It is just too oversimplistic to qualify Turks as brutal barbarians who contributed in no way to the Ottoman culture.

Ahh, you would dearly love me to do that wouldn't you. In the meantime, you have to reserve such lectures for others.

 

Im a "Turk"  ...

That much is obvious from none other than the level of analytical thinking displayed. It's nothing racial of course. It's to do with what's encouraged by the government, and what's not.

 

(to end your presumptions).

I have none that does not spring from the reality on the ground.

 

Please stop your exclusive claims on territories which are shared by Kurds, Assyrians, Turks, Pontians, Zaza, Armenians, Laz, Circassian etc.

I hope that was not addressed to me.

 

If they became Armenian territory they would just be cleansed as Armenia has been cleansed.

Well then, you are one lucky individual, aren't you. Please don't mind us and keep enjoying your paradise. I hear North Korea is just as swell. Just an option, in case your paradise changes too much from its current, ideal state. Edited April 12, 2004 by Twilight Bark

[bellthecat]

Last summer when I travelled to Turkey I stayed at a very nice B&B in Cappadocia - in the city of Mustfa***** - a place called the Old Greek House (highly recommended - wonderful place and about the best food I've ever had in Turkey). Anyway - when I informed the owner that i was Armenian - he spoke of knowing Armenians in Kayseri - now - currently - so I would surmise that there are and were Armenians in Kayseri.

 

As for Sinan - it seems that both the Greeks and Armenians claim him..could he have perhasp been both? Who really knows it would seem...

Sinan was born in a small town a little to the southeast of Kayseri, that is now called Mimarsinan in his honour. I've been there - it's built right on the top of a small hill. You can look down from it and see the entire Kayseri plain (with the sprawling suburbs of Kayseri now almost reaching to the base of the hill). To the left is Talas (which before 1915 had a mixed Greek, Turkish, and Armenian population) and to the right was the well known Armenian settlement of Efkere.

 

During Sinan's time the town is known to have been mostly Armenian - so there is a good probability that he also was Armenian. Also, I've read that there are petitions to the Sultan that have survived and that bear Sinan's name and the names of Armenians in Kayseri, which also suggests he was Armenian (since why else would he be acting on the behalf of those Armenians). These might be the petitions that Arpa mentioned. Why were the Armenians going to be exiled?

 

I don't believe that there are any Armenians still living in Kayseri. True, you can sometimes meet with Turks who say there are some (mostly along the lines of "yes, I once had neighbours who were Armenian"), but in reality they are as extinct as (and, to those Turks, are as exotic as) the dodo.

 

Edited - no threats please, Steve

 

Steve

Edited April 12, 2004 by vava

[DominO123]

/// Edited April 12, 2004 by Fadix

[bellthecat]

Oh, there is a house in Mimarsinan that is described as "Mimar Sinan's House" in a booklet published by the Kayseri tourist bureau. But I couldn't locate the house when I was there. Couldn't have been his actual house anyway since it looked like a house from the 19th century!

[phantom22]

Sinan's real name was Hovsep (Joseph). He was born in Kayseri on April 15, 1489 and his close relatives all had Armenian names. This is documented, from Ottoman archival materials, in an article in the "Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society" of Great Britain, dated 1937. Edited May 5, 2006 by phantom22

[phantom22]

Yes, he was not from Kayseri itself, but from one of the small villages in the area.

 

Oh, there is a house in Mimarsinan that is described as "Mimar Sinan's House" in a booklet published by the Kayseri tourist bureau. But I couldn't locate the house when I was there. Couldn't have been his actual house anyway since it looked like a house from the 19th century!

Edited May 6, 2006 by phantom22