The buildings of Sinan (c1490-1588) are ranked with the finest monuments 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 the Süleymaniye in Istanbul - one of Sinan's greatest mosques - demonstrate his masterly coordination of planning, quantity surveying, work force management, and design and implementation of waterworks, that enabled this vast project to be completed in just seven years.

Author

J M Rogers was the first holder of the Nasser D Khalili Chair in Islamic Art and Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.