16th-Century Istanbul Mosque Gets Makeover

Standing in the main sanctuary of Suleymaniye Mosque, Amin, a cleaner of the mosque’s carpets, raised his hands in joy. “It’s Suleymaniye, it’s muhtesem,” he said, using a Persian word meaning “majestic.” The reason for celebration: the completion of a three-year restoration of the 453-year-old imperial mosque.

Suleymaniye was built at the height of Ottoman architecture for the sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, by Mimar Sinan, the Frank Gehry of his time. Arches in the upper balconies seem to split in an architectural sleight of hand, geometric patterns and kaleidoscopic Arabic calligraphy ring the inside of minor domes that appear to froth around the central dome, which floats nearly 175 feet above the floor. It’s a bit like walking into an M.C. Escher drawing.

But just a few years ago, there was cause for concern. The structure’s ability to withstand a serious earthquake was in question; cement plaster, applied to the walls in the 1960s, was suffocating the building. With a budget of $14.5 million, the recently completed restoration works, carried out by the Gur Yapi construction firm, included much needed structural work on the domes, as well as changes to the interior decorations that attempt to return the designs to their original style.

In the process of correcting previous restorations, original 16th-century hand-painted patterns, as well as panels of Iznik tiles, were uncovered in the upper galleys and are now on display.

“It doesn’t look Botox-ed,” said Saffet Emre Tonguc, a local tour guide, said. “You can feel the age of the building.”

via 16th-Century Istanbul Mosque Gets Makeover – NYTimes.com.