Istanbul and its architecture are already mystical but it gets even more interesting when considering the Turkish myth about the famous architect Mimar Sinan’s two Mihrimah mosques. These two mosques, named after princess Mihrimah Sultan – the favorite daughter of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent – hold a beautiful and romantic tale within its architectural design.
The first Mihrimah mosque is in Üsküdar, the Asian side of Istanbul, and it was built between 1547-1548. The second Mihrimah mosque was built between 1562 – 1565 on the European side, just beside the city’s old walls in Edirnekapı. According to the myth, Mimar Sinan built this second mosque without giving prior notification to Süleyman the Magnificent.
The myth behind these mosques could be best described as “stone romance” – a hopeless one in other words. Once upon a time, Mimar Sinan was hopelessly in love with the Sultan Süleyman’s daughter who was the wife of Diyarbakır’s governor. His love for the Sultan Mihrimah was desperate, never to be, but he expressed it in his artwork.
The second mosque, on the European side, was believed to be built before an order from the Sultan and is with only one minaret. It is believed that this depicts Sinan’s loneliness. But this is not the only interesting depiction in the mosques. Mimar Sinan built the second mosque at Edirnekapı, the exact spot where the sun goes down on the 21st of March, which is Mihrimah’s birthday. One can watch the sun setting past the European mosque’s minaret while the moon rises behind the one on the Asian side. To add beauty to the story, it is no fortuity that Mihrimah means “sun and moon” in Persian.
Many secrets are probably buried beneath these stones, but if you believe in myths and love, you can visit these two mosques on the 21st of March. Start by the one in Edirnekapı during the sunset, then the one in Üsküdar – to witness Mimar Sinan’s brilliance, and to celebrate both Mihrimah’s birthday and Mimar Sinan’s devoted love in a typical Turkish architectural fashion. The mosques also showcase a beautiful interior design. Now every time, your ferry stops in Üsküdar and every time you see the Mihrimah mosque, you will remember the hopeless love tale of Mimar Sinan.
All photos courtesy of Kateryna Kyselova and Mohamed Shalaby.
Beautiful piece of writing. I never knew there was such a rich story behind Mihrimah Cami. Now I need to visit the one in Edirnekapi!
I am a my moslema, who has just known about mihrimah Mosque. I believe, there are mosques, mostly incredeble.
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