Sinan was the best of the Ottoman architects when the empire was at its peak. The Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul is a great work of art, but his Selimiye in Edirne is better. He built it 1566-1574 for Sultan Selim II. I love to approach the building from the formal central entrance, entering the courtyard, then approaching to the wonderful entrance with its great "muquarnas" (see the relevant picture). Then enter the enormous central hall, that still feels cozy in a way. If you manage try to go there off season, when you have a chance of being all alone in this huge and wonderful building. Listen to the sound of the water flowing in the central fountain. Look at all the great Iznik tiles, in the central mihrab, over the windows, everywhere.

The Selimiye mosque was built on top of the hill overlooking the town (in 1569-1575) when architect Mimar Sinan was nearly 80. The dome is the largest in Ottoman history; it is massed between the four loftiest minarets and so the lesser buildings of the complex are dwarfed.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Source: ‘Islamic Architecture: Ottoman Turkey’ (Godfrey Goodwin) – London 1977