Sinan: Makers of Islamic Civilization

by J.M. Rogers

In this concise and readable overview, J. M. Rogers considers the life, architecture and influence of the ""Great Architect Sinan"" (1489-1588). Sinan is generally considered the greatest of all Ottoman architects, and is the only Islamic architect outside Turkey whose name regularly appears beside the great architects of the European Renaissance and their successors. The office of Court Architect--of which Sinan was the most famous holder--was a central one in the Ottoman Empire, and arguably the most significant architectural office of any Muslim culture, before or since. The book includes ample illustrations and photographs of Sinan's buildings, to illuminate the points made in the text.

I.B.Tauris in association with the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2007

Reviews

[Maysa Shawwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to know about the personality of Sinan as well as the political and social circumstances of his time and the book didn't fulfill that. The book talks only about his achievements and gives detailed information about the architecture and design of his buildings. The book also depicts the Sultans as very harsh who cut the fingers off the architects' hands if they didn't do a good job. Actually, the book relied on one single source which literally said "might cut off" regarding this peculiar issue.