The buildings of Sinan (c.1490-1588) are ranked with the finest 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 ...
