Mimar Sinan

Mimar Sinan was the chief Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician who served three sultans during the sixteenth century. Born Joseph in Agirnas, near modern day Kayseri, the son of a stonemason, he rose to become one of history's most prolific architectural designers, living from around 1490 until 17 July 1588. Serving under Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II and Murad III during the classical period of Ottoman architecture, he transformed Ottoman building practice through innovative geometric design and spatial organization and is credited with more than 300 major structures, including mosques, bridges, baths, schools and hospitals across the empire. His masterpiece is considered to be the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, and he also designed the Suleymaniye Mosque and the Sehzade Mosque in Istanbul and the Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge in Bosnia; his architectural concepts are said to have influenced the later design of the Taj Mahal.