Sinan, İznik and the Ottoman arts: the back story

About Sinan, İznik and the Ottoman arts: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Istanbul Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Istanbul is a museum of the Ottoman arts. Mimar Sinan’s mosques give the city its skyline; İznik tiles cover its finest interiors; calligraphy, miniature painting and ebru marbling flourished in the palace workshops and still have masters today.

Mimar Sinan

Mimar Sinan (c. 1490–1588) served as chief architect to three sultans for half a century. He designed mosques, schools, bathhouses, bridges and tombs across the empire. In Istanbul, the Süleymaniye, the Rüstem Pasha and Mihrimah Sultan mosques and several great hammams are his; his own favourite was the Selimiye in Edirne.

İznik tiles

In the 16th century the potters of İznik, south-east of Istanbul, produced tiles of extraordinary quality for the imperial mosques and palaces: cobalt blue, turquoise and green, and from the 1550s a raised tomato red, with tulips, carnations, hyacinths and saz leaves. See them at their best in the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, the Blue Mosque and the Topkapı Harem.

The great age of İznik tiles was the second half of the 16th century, when a vivid tomato red joined the blues and greens.

Calligraphy and miniatures

Calligraphy was the highest of the Ottoman arts, and the great roundels in Hagia Sophia are among its most famous works. Miniature painting illustrated histories and festivals at court. The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts and the Sakıp Sabancı Museum have fine collections.

Ebru

Ebru, the art of marbling paper by floating colours on water, is inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Workshops in the old city offer short classes, a lovely souvenir to make yourself.

Where to see it

Start with the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Süleymaniye, then the Topkapı Harem and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. For modern and contemporary art, Istanbul Modern, Arter, SALT and the Pera Museum show where Turkish art went next.

Our advice: compare the tiles of the Rüstem Pasha and Blue mosques on the same day, look for Sinan’s signature in the light of his domes, and take an ebru class. Then visit Istanbul Modern, to see the story continue.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Sinan, İznik and the Ottoman arts: the back story before you go.