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Once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Edirne had the good fortune of being endowed with numerous buildings designed by Sinan the Architect. The Selimiye Mosque is the most inspiring among them. It is considered to be Sinan’s masterpiece and it is one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture. A mosque ahead of its time, built by the visionary architect of all times.
In the 1990’s, Şehzade Mosque in Istanbul, built in the 1500’s by Sinan the Architect was being renovated. The following story was told by one of the engineers who took part in the project.
“The arches in the mosque’s yard needed renovation, as well. We had little experience in building stone arches. As we were trying to figure out the most efficient way, we started by removing the keystone. That is when we discovered a glass bottle embedded in the stone. There was a scroll of paper inside the bottle with Ottoman writings on it. We fetched an Ottoman expert and had it translated. It was a letter from Sinan the Architect, which left us speechless.
“The stones in this arch will last no more than 400 years. By the time these stones are decayed, you will need to renovate them. Due to changes in building techniques, you will have scant knowledge on how to do it. I am leaving this letter to instruct you how to rebuild the arch.”
