Süleymaniye hamam

Suleymaniye Hamam is a historic Turkish bath in İstanbul, Turkey. The building, situated on a hill facing the Golden Horn, was built in 1550 by the famed Turkish architect Sinan and named for Süleyman the Magnificent. It is part of the Suleymaniye mosque complex.

Sulemaniye Hamam is a traditional bathhouse consisting of three sections: cold, lukewarm and hot. Temperatures in the hot section can reach 40-60 degrees Celsius (72-108 F). The hamam is still operating today and caters mainly to tourists. [http://www.suleymaniyehamami.com ]

History and architecture of mosque

The Süleymaniye Complex represented the second and most important stage in an architectural tradition which began with the Fatih Complex, namely a symmetrical grouping and use of geometric shaping among the layout of the complex buildings. Of unprecedented size and architectural design, the Süleymaniye Complex includes a mosque, medresse, hospital, lunatic asylum, infirmary tombs, a hamam, a market and a primary school.

The mosque was built when Ottoman Empire was at its height. It incorporates columns from ancient ruins brought to Istanbul and used in the interior of the mosque. The mosque is surrounded by an outer courtyard with the kiblah, or direction to Mecca, being on one side along with an enclosed cemetery containing graves and a mausoleum; the opposite side of the kiblah contains an inner courtyard.

The marble-covered inner courtyard is entered through a magnificent three-storey door unique in Istanbul. The courtyard contains a pool and water-jet fountain. The mosque has four minarets. The domes rise to a height of 50 meters, and the minarets located where the courtyard meets the walls of the mosque have three galleries and are 76 meters high. The minarets located at the side of the courtyard with the entrance have two galleries and are 56 meters high. The mosque has a main dome supported by two half-domes. Due to the design of the domes, the acoustics are exceptional. The space above the entrance is illuminated by 4000 candles. Fact|date=August 2008The marble pulpit and mosque niche are intricately carved and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The clinic, hospital, mental asylum and infirmary are located in the northwest of the complex parallel to the kiblah. The soup kitchen, the Darüzziyafe, functions today as a restaurant for classical Turkish cuisine.

The kiblah side of the mosque has a covered cemetery with a great number of graves, including the tombs of Süleyman, the Magnificent and his wife Hürrem Sultan and a room for the keeper of the tombs. [ [http://www.suleymaniyehamami.com Süleymaniye Hamam ] ]

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