Makers of Islamic
Civilization' series, run by the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.
SINAN
J.M Rogers
Paperback 133 Pages
Oxford University Press & I.B. Tauris
The buildings of Sinan (c.
1490-1588) 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.
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.
This book is no. 3 in the ''Makers
of Islamic Civilization' series, run by the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Published jointly by
Oxford University Press (Delhi) and I.B. Tauris (London), these books are
written by specialists for the general reader. They are intended to serve as an
introduction to pivotal Islamic thinkers and actors, whose works and legacy make
up the pool of cultural experiences and resources on which contemporary Muslims
continue to draw.
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