The story of Selimiye Mosque

Mimar Sinan built this mosque at the age of 80 and called it his "masterpiece." Commissioned under Sultan Selim II in Edirne, the earlier Ottoman capital, it was begun in 1568, according to its inscription. It was meant to open on Friday, 27 November 1574, but only opened for worship on 14 March 1575, after Selim's death.

Evliya Çelebi wrote that the sultan dreamed he was asked to build a mosque to mark the conquest of Cyprus; yet Cyprus was taken in 1571, after work had started, so the story cannot be true. Step inside and look up: a single dome, 43.25 metres high and 31.25 metres across, rests on a drum carried by 8 pillars. Four minarets, each with three balconies and 70.89 metres tall, stand at the corners, and the mosque can be seen from all over Edirne.

Some of its Iznik tiles were removed to Moscow by the Russian general Skobelev during the 1877-1878 Russo-Ottoman War. The complex became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.