The Suleymaniye Mosque or Suleiman Mosque was built after the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes in 1522 and is named after Sultan Suleiman. The mosque was reconstructed in 1808 and has been restored several times since then. It is the most significant surviving monument of the Ottoman era in Rhodes.
Local tradition states that the mosque was built on the site of an earlier church. Thus, the construction of the mosque dates back to approximately 1522-1523. The 17th-century Ottoman writer and traveler Evliya Ç elebi reported the presence of an inscription on the minaret, which describes repairs carried out in 940 (1533-1534 AD).
The mosque was rebuilt in 1808. The earthquake of 1856 damaged the mosque. In the same year, lightning struck the powder magazine under the nearby Church of St. John, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the church and further damaged the mosque. It was partially restored before the visit of Sultan Abdul-Aziz (reigned 1861–1876). The decision to repair the building was made in 1892. The minaret, which originally had only one balcony, was rebuilt with two balconies at this time or earlier, in 1863.
The minaret was renovated again in 1925, but was demolished in 1987 due to structural problems. A major restoration and reconstruction of the entire mosque began in 1988 and was completed in 2005. The mosque is currently closed to visitors, except for special occasions.
The design of the mosque reflects an earlier period of Ottoman architecture, when tabhanes (hospices for Sufis) were attached to the mosques. The prayer hall today consists of three domed chambers. The central room is covered by a large, high dome and is flanked on either side by rooms with smaller, lower domes. The central room also has a mihrab (niche indicating the direction of prayer) and a walnut-wood minbar (pulpit). Originally, the central room was the prayer hall itself, while the side rooms served as tabhanes. In a later period, these three rooms were combined into the former larger prayer hall.
Externally, the mosque is surrounded by a double narthex with an outer and inner portico. The inner portico is covered by seven domes and supported by eight columns, while the outer portico is covered by a sloping lead roof supported by a larger number of columns.
The entrance to the mosque is an ornate marble arch carved with flowers and other motifs. This portal previously belonged to a funerary monument built by the Knights Hospitaller in 1510-1520, which was probably part of the Church of St. John, destroyed in the explosion of 1856. The portal was moved and incorporated into the mosque in 1863. It may have originally been a piece imported by the Knights from Italy.
Since mosques had to be aligned with the qibla (direction of prayer), which did not necessarily coincide with the orientation of existing streets and surrounding buildings, the construction of new mosques in the city often involved clearing additional neighboring structures to accommodate the orientation of the building. This left an open, irregularly shaped space on the northwest side of the mosque (in front of its entrance), which was converted into a public square with a fountain for ablutions. The fountain in front of the Suleymaniye Mosque has an octagonal base with eight collated (i. e. , taken from another older structure) columns supporting the dome.
Local tradition states that the mosque was built on the site of an earlier church. Thus, the construction of the mosque dates back to approximately 1522-1523. The 17th-century Ottoman writer and traveler Evliya Ç elebi reported the presence of an inscription on the minaret, which describes repairs carried out in 940 (1533-1534 AD).
The mosque was rebuilt in 1808. The earthquake of 1856 damaged the mosque. In the same year, lightning struck the powder magazine under the nearby Church of St. John, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the church and further damaged the mosque. It was partially restored before the visit of Sultan Abdul-Aziz (reigned 1861–1876). The decision to repair the building was made in 1892. The minaret, which originally had only one balcony, was rebuilt with two balconies at this time or earlier, in 1863.
The minaret was renovated again in 1925, but was demolished in 1987 due to structural problems. A major restoration and reconstruction of the entire mosque began in 1988 and was completed in 2005. The mosque is currently closed to visitors, except for special occasions.
The design of the mosque reflects an earlier period of Ottoman architecture, when tabhanes (hospices for Sufis) were attached to the mosques. The prayer hall today consists of three domed chambers. The central room is covered by a large, high dome and is flanked on either side by rooms with smaller, lower domes. The central room also has a mihrab (niche indicating the direction of prayer) and a walnut-wood minbar (pulpit). Originally, the central room was the prayer hall itself, while the side rooms served as tabhanes. In a later period, these three rooms were combined into the former larger prayer hall.
Externally, the mosque is surrounded by a double narthex with an outer and inner portico. The inner portico is covered by seven domes and supported by eight columns, while the outer portico is covered by a sloping lead roof supported by a larger number of columns.
The entrance to the mosque is an ornate marble arch carved with flowers and other motifs. This portal previously belonged to a funerary monument built by the Knights Hospitaller in 1510-1520, which was probably part of the Church of St. John, destroyed in the explosion of 1856. The portal was moved and incorporated into the mosque in 1863. It may have originally been a piece imported by the Knights from Italy.
Since mosques had to be aligned with the qibla (direction of prayer), which did not necessarily coincide with the orientation of existing streets and surrounding buildings, the construction of new mosques in the city often involved clearing additional neighboring structures to accommodate the orientation of the building. This left an open, irregularly shaped space on the northwest side of the mosque (in front of its entrance), which was converted into a public square with a fountain for ablutions. The fountain in front of the Suleymaniye Mosque has an octagonal base with eight collated (i. e. , taken from another older structure) columns supporting the dome.
Translated automatically from Ukrainian. View original
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