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The Age of Süleyman "the Magnificent" (r. 1520–1566)
Hungarian-style Shield [Eastern European] Dish [Attributed to Iznik, Turkey] Made by the Workshop of Ahmed Tekelü: Yatagan Helmet [Turkish] Attributed to Shah Quli: Ornamental drawing of a dragon Leaf from Futuh al-Haramain (Description of the Two Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina) [Probably Turkey] Panel from a kaftan [Turkey (Istanbul)] Tughra [Istanbul] Mirror [Turkey]


Istanbul, Suleymaniye, view from rear

Istanbul, Süleymaniye, 1550–57, view from rear
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Istanbul, Suleymaniye complex, tomb of Suleyman
 Istanbul, Süleymaniye complex, 1550–57, tomb of Süleyman
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Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock
 Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock, completed 691; tile revetment, mid-16th century
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Under Süleyman, popularly known as "the Magnificent" or "the Lawmaker," the Ottoman empire reached the apogee of its military and political power. Süleyman's armies conquered Hungary, over which the Ottomans maintained control for over 150 years, and they advanced as far west as Vienna, threatening the Habsburgs. To the east, the Ottoman forces wrested control of Iraq from the Safavids of Iran. In the Mediterranean, their navy captured all the principal North African ports, and for a time the Ottoman fleet completely dominated the sea. By the end of Süleyman's reign, Ottoman hegemony extended over a great portion of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Along with geographic expansion, trade, economic growth, and tremendous cultural and artistic activity helped define the reign of Süleyman as a "Golden Age." Developments occurred in every field of the arts; however, those in calligraphy, manuscript painting, textiles, and ceramics were particularly significant. Artists renowned by name include calligrapher Ahmad Karahisari as well as painters Shahquli and Kara Memi.

In architecture, the most outstanding achievements of this period were the public buildings designed by Sinan (1539–1588), chief of the Corps of Royal Architects. While Sinan is often remembered for his two major commissions, the mosque complexes of Süleymaniye in Istanbul (1550–57) and of the later Selimiye in Edirne (1568–74), he designed hundreds of buildings across the Ottoman empire and contributed to the dissemination of Ottoman culture. Apart from mosques and other pious foundations—including schools, hospices, and soup kitchens, supported by shops, markets, baths, and caravanserais—Süleyman also commissioned repairs and additions to major historical monuments. The tile revetment of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, as well as several additions to sites in Mecca and Medina, the two Holy Cities of Islam date from this period.


Islamic World, Religious Art, Islam, Europe, geography, Balkan Peninsula (including Greece) , West Asia, Anatolia and the Caucasus, West Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, Trade and Travel (1400-1600 A.D.), Ahmed Tekelü (active in Istanbul, ca. 1520-30), Islamic Art in the Later Period

Department of Islamic Art

Birth of Islam, The Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburgs, 1400-1600, The Nature of Islamic Art, The Ottoman Empire before 1600 A.D., The Ottoman Empire after 1600, The Safavid Period before 1600, Hagia Sophia, Europe and the Islamic World, 1600-1800 , The Greater Ottoman Empire, 1600-1800 , Islamic Arms and Armor, Abridged List of Rulers: Islamic World, Orientalism in Nineteenth-Century Art,

Anatolia and the Caucasus, 1400-1600 A.D., Arabian Peninsula, 1400-1600 A.D., Balkan Peninsula, 1400-1600 A.D., The Eastern Mediterranean, 1400-1600 A.D., Egypt, 1400-1600 A.D., Iraq, 1400-1600 A.D.,

West Asia, 1400-1600 A.D.