He was called "Koca Mimar," which in Turkish means "the Great Architect." Indeed, nobody had a more profound influence on the architecture of the Ottoman Empire than Ibn Abdal-Mannan Sinan. Appointed by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent as chief architect in 1538, Sinan designed some of the most admired classic masterpeices. Depending on the sources, he was responsible for between 360 to 477 mosques, palaces, hospitals, schools, tombs, aqueducts, fountains, bridges and public baths.

But Sinan left behind few drawings of his plans beyond some cursory elevations. Through a meticulous exercise in reverse engineering, the late Turkish architect Ali Saim Ulgen, created detailed sets of drawings for more than 80 of Sinan's buildings, including site plans and floor plans. †lgen, who died in 1962, is recognized as the father of architectural restoration and preservation in modern Turkey.

The elaborate sets include some 250 drawings which were executed between 1938 and 1962 and published as a two-volume portfolio collectors' edition. The set is divided into two volumes: Single Buildings and Complexes. Each print measures 28" x 22". Included in the plans are such notable monuments as the Mosque of Suleyman, Sehzade Camii (Mosque of the Princes), Mihrimah Mosque, and Rustem Pasa. †lgen's plans were the basis for reconstruction of the Mescid which had been demolished. Even today †lgen's drawings are recognized as the most accurate and complete ever undertaken.

Sinan is particularly remembered for his magnificent domed Ottoman Turkish mosques. He built new variations upon fragmented, hierarchical dome structures, opening up the mosque to natural light and new heights. The Sinan school of architecture dominated the Ottoman building up until the middle of the 18th century and still shapes the skyline of Istanbul and other Turkish cities.

Long out of print and never before available outside of Turkey, a limited cache of †lgen's portfolios has been uncovered in Istanbul and acquired by IMAGINS, Inc. of Oxnard, California, USA.

In the past, these rare portfolios have been given as gifts from the Turkish government to foreign dignitaries and heads of state. Lovers of Sinan's architecture will not want to pass up this unique treasure. The few remaining portfolios are being made available to architects, architectural schools, museums, archivists and other professional institutions.

Price: $595

In order to make these magnificient drawings more widely available, three Suleymaniye drawings (cross-section, elevation, floor-plan) have been selected for a limited edition set of frameable prints.

Price: $150

Coming in 2000 - The Buildings of Mimar Sinan CD-ROM (see order form)

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