Hürrem Sultan Tomb
About the Person:
- Hürrem Sultan is one of the most powerful and influential female figures in Ottoman history. She was the favorite and legal wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and the mother of Sultan Selim II.
- She was known for her influence within the palace, her role in diplomacy, and her contributions to charitable works. Throughout her life, she commissioned numerous charitable institutions, complexes, and mosques, making a lasting impact on Ottoman architecture.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1558
Ordered by: Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
Architect: Mimar Sinan
Prominent Features:
- The tomb is built of cut küfeki stone and has an octagonal exterior and a hexadecagonal (16-sided) interior plan.
- Except for the entrance façade, each side of the tomb features two-tiered windows; the windows are accentuated with arched pediments and pink marble borders.
- The front façade of the tomb includes a porticoed entrance section adorned with muqarnas-headed columns and arched rosettes.
- Above the entrance door is an inscription bearing the Declaration of Faith (Kalima al-Tawhid).
- The dome sits on a circular drum upon which Qur’anic verses are inscribed in relief.
- The interior is completely covered with tiles in coral red, cobalt blue, turquoise, and occasionally black, using the underglaze and colored glaze techniques.
- The woodwork on the door and window shutters, as well as on the latticework surrounding the sarcophagi, showcases the intricate geometric kündekari technique.
- The inside of the dome is decorated with painted vegetal motifs.
- In addition to Hürrem Sultan, the tomb also contains the graves of Prince Mehmed, son of Sultan Selim II, and Hanım Sultan, daughter of Hatice Sultan, sister of Suleiman the Magnificent.
- The exterior tile panels of the tomb are decorated with spring branches, tulip and carnation compositions, while Chinese clouds and thuluth inscriptions appear in the corner fillings.
