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The buildings of Sinan (c.1490-1588) are ranked with the finest of Renaissance Europe. He was born in Cappadocia, probably into a Greek Christian family. Drafted into the Janissaries during his adolescence, he rapidly gained promotion and distinction as a military engineer. He was appointed Court Architect in 1538, and held that post for the most productive brilliant half-century in Ottoman architecture. His palaces, mosques, fountains, hospitals and tombs completely changed the face of the Ottoman capitals, Istanbul and Edirne.
Though little is known of Sinan`s personal life, J.M. Rogers has reconstructed his professional biography from his practice and that of the Court Architects after him. The detailed building accounts of Sulemaniye in Istanbul - one of Sinan`s greatest mosques - demonstrate his masterly coordination of planning, quantity surveying, workforce management, and design and implementation of waterworks, that enabled this vast project to be completed in just seven years.
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