Lessons that Matter

By Jessica McElligott 

     

Introduction: I approached the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent with my own special brand of bitterness.   “Another pretty building,” I think.  “Great.  Who in the world cares?  I am not Muslim nor will I have more than brief contact with the people who worship here.  Why does this mosque matter?”

Past: 500 years ago there was a Christian Cappadocian family who had a son named Sinan, who was born in 1498.  When Sinan was a boy he joined the Ottoman army in Istanbul under Selim the Terrible.  (Selim earned this title for killing his own father to assume the throne.  During his reign he conquered Egypt in the 16^th century and became the Caliphate or leader of the Sunni sect of Islam.)  While Sinan was serving in the army he made bridges and eventually became the lead architect for the empire, serving four sultans in his time.  

We can learn from his loyalty.

Present: Looking up at the dome shaped ceiling, all I can do is whisper “wow.”

The ceiling of the Mosque.

Past: Sinan was awed by the beauty of the Hagia Sophia.  He desired to make similar structures, but he actually started by making schools.  When Suleiman the Magnificent, Salem the Terrible’s son, succeeded his father, Sinan was afforded the opportunity to build a large Mosque in the Sultan’s name.  (This, however, would not be the first Mosque Sinan built in Istanbul.  He built a smaller religious structure dedicated to the groom of Suleiman’s daughter.)  Suleiman ordered this Mosque so his wife Roxalina and he could be buried in the garden next to its beauty.  The Sultan also chose the location for this Mosque, one of the seven hills of the old city of Istanbul.  Unfortunately the soil at this spot was not the greatest for building on, thus prolonging the completion of the Mosque mainly to build the base.  As a matter of fact, Sinan started what was to become the largest Mosque in Istanbul in 1550, and it was finally finished seven years later in 1557 even with thousands of workers (fifty-three to fifty-six percent of these workers were Christian, by the way).  

We can learn from their perseverance.

This is the inside of the Hagia Sophia.  It was once a Church, then a Mosque, and now a museum.

Present: I meander across the floor, admiring the large structure of domes and the vastness of the Sacred Space.  But I also relish in the small things, the colors in the carpet, in the designs on the ceiling and walls.  I can remember the last time I created something from basic tools: crayons and a printout Disney princess.  I recall coloring outside of the lines on accident, and despite fierce internal debates, the colors on her still managed to not quite match well.  Nothing in the Mosque was an accident; the details seem perfectly put together with care.

The outside of the Suleiman the Magnificent Mosque.  It is still pretty intricate, but it does not hold a candle to the inside.

Past: Once Suleiman the Magnificent came to visit the Mosque while Sinan was still in the process of construction.  The Sultan found the architect on the floor of the Mosque with no one working on the building.  Sinan also did not appear to be doing any work, as he was smoking a Nargile pipe (a.k.a. a hookah).  Understandably the Suleiman was a little upset by this.  When pressed for an explanation, Sinan replied that he was checking the acoustics, as the pipe tend to let out a “bloop, bloop” noise.  Furthermore, the architect continued, and said something to the effect of, “there will be candles in the Mosque when it is in use, and the pipe gives off smoke.  I am tracking where the smoke goes so I can ventilate the building properly.”  

We can learn from their craftsmanship.

Conclusion:  There is nothing new under the sun.  We can and must study the past unless we want to toil for truths ourselves.  So the Suleiman the Magnificent Mosque might not mean anything to you or me.  Maybe we will not be able to comprehend why the building is important for those who pray there.  The Mosque might not actually matter in everyday American life.  But the lessons its history teaches do matter.