Mausoleum of Suleiman the Magnificent

The turbe of Suleiman the Magnificent is the mausoleum of the tenth Ottoman sultan, who ruled from 1520 to 1566 and brought the empire to its geographic peak. The octagonal tomb sits in the garden of the Sueleymaniye Mosque, the complex built from 1550 by court architect Mimar Sinan. Suleiman was brought here after his death during the campaign against Szigetvar in Hungary; his heart was left on the battlefield. The interior walls are clad in Iznik tiles and the floor is laid with precious stones. Beside the sultan rest his daughter Mihrimah and later sultans such as Suleiman II. Visitors enter barefoot and find a subdued atmosphere of colored light through the window rosettes. The smaller, equally ornate mausoleum of his wife Hurrem Sultan (Roxelana) stands next door.