We hiked (and I do mean hiked) from Eminonu to the Suleymaniye Mosque, about a 30 minute walk up hill. We kept going and going up the hill towards the mosque, seemingly never getting close to it despite moving.
We knew the mosque would be closed for renovations, but Alex wanted us to get a glimpse inside of one of the most ornate mosques built by Sinan the Architect. In addition, the tomb of Suleiman the Magnificant would be open for us to explore.
When we finally arrived at the mosque, we were disappointed to find the tomb was closed to the public. We meandered for a bit through the grave markers, noting the different classes of individuals interred within the mosque's courtyard. Irises were planted with female markers.
We ventured inside to the Suleymaniye Mosque and found that only a small section was open to both the worshippers and public. Alex explained the interior of the mosque was acoustically perfect, as Sinan personally listened to the echoes generated by water drops in different sections of the Suleymaniye Mosque during the construction phase. Also, the collected soot from the thousands of candles was used for ink on the ceiling.
We snuck into the Iman's personal library, only glimpsing at the vastness of space within the main section of the mosque. Unfortunately, the entire area was filled with scaffolding, preventing us from seeing the ornate decorations within the mosque.
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