Sultan II. Selim Tomb

Sultan II. Selim, son of Suleiman the Magnificent and Hürrem Sultan, ascended the throne upon his father’s death at Zigetvar. He largely entrusted the administration of the state to his powerful grand vizier, Sokollu Mehmed Paşa.
During his reign, the conquest of Cyprus (1571) strengthened Ottoman dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean, though the defeat at Lepanto the same year was quickly remedied and naval supremacy restored. Poland was brought under Ottoman protection, and the campaign in Tunis further solidified Ottoman influence in North Africa. Mimar Sinan’s masterpiece, the Selimiye Mosque, was built in Edirne during his reign. Known as ‘Sarı Selim’ (Selim the Blond), he was reputed for heavy alcohol consumption and is believed to have died from a head injury after a fall in a bath. His body was interred in the tomb he had built next to Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Despite a short reign, it marked a continuation of Ottoman expansion due to Sokollu’s statesmanship and the annexation of Cyprus.

Construction Year: 1573–1577

Ordered by: Selim II

Architect: Mimar Sinan

Prominent Features:

Designed by Mimar Sinan with a double-dome structure; square plan with beveled corners outside, and an octagonal gallery inside.
The outer dome sits on a high drum; the inner dome is supported by eight columns.
Marble-clad facades end with a profiled cornice; the encircling molding influenced later mosque architecture.
Entrance features a three-arched portico with muqarnas-topped columns and vaults.
The portico columns are of breccia and marble; central columns have muqarnas capitals.
The inscription on the entry arch and the adjacent tile panels are masterpieces of 16th-century İznik tilework. The left panel was removed in the 19th century and taken to the Louvre Museum.
Interior walls are tiled; above the second window level, decorative painting begins.
The dome interior is adorned with verse 16 from Surah Ra’d. The pendentives bear the names of Allah, Muhammad, the four caliphs, Hasan, and Husayn.
The mihrab features simple muqarnas; the door is crafted with kündekârî and inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
In addition to Sultan Selim II, the tomb houses his consort Nurbânû Sultan, daughters Gevherhan, Ismihan, and Fatma Sultans; princes Süleyman, Osman, Cihangir, Mustafa, and Abdullah; and some children of Murad III.