THE SULEYMANlYE MOSQUE

The handmade carpet with a mihrab design on the floor of the nave is new, having been given to the mosque in the 1960's. The most eye-catching element of the interior decor is the original stained-glass windows of Turkish motifs on the wall of the mihrab (prayer niche). The inconspicuous little chanter's balcony is at the front of pulpit.

The walls around the minber (pulpit) near the mihrab are decorated with beautiful ceramic tiles. The Sultan's box is to the left of the mihrab.
The walls of the mosque adorned with verses from the Koran are regarded as ultimate in the Turkish art of calligraphy. Along the walls of the mosque with the exception of the southern wall, there are balconies for women.

The brass grill to the right of the entrance is a typical example of 18th century craftsmanship. In the forecourt of the mosque, the tombs of Sultan Suleyman and Roxelana, his favourite wife, lie side by side. And at one corner of the Suleymaniye Complex, there is a small and, humble grave where rests Sinan the Great, the grandmaster of Turkish architecture who spent fifty years of his ninety-nine year life as the chief architect of a powerful empire.

Moslems practice prayer five times a day. The noon prayer on Fridays, the morning prayer on the first days of the two religious holidays each year, the final prayer of each day of the Holy month of Ramadan and finally, funeral prayers must take place in a mosque, while the other prayer may be done at home or any suitable place.