Sulaymaniyya Takiyya

Sultan Suleiman I who had recently lost two sons, as he executed his son Şehzade Mustafa, followed by Şehzade Cihangir who died of grief, wanted to establish a mosque for the salvation of his soul, so he chose the site of his father Selim I's former palace in Damascus. Western building The construction of the western building was commissioned in 1554–55 during the reign of governor Şemsi Pasha, until it was completed in 1558–59. This building was masterminded by Mimar Sinan and built by local craftsmen, on the location of Baibars' Ablaq Palace which was destroyed by Tamerlane forces during the siege of Damascus. It is composed of a large mosque on the southwest side of a courtyard, flanked by a single line of stone arcading, and a soup kitchen (known in Turkish as imaret) The mosque has been described as "the finest example of Ottoman architecture in Damascus". Eastern building In addition to the first building and eastwards from it, a madrasa was built in 1566–67. It was possibly ordered by Süleyman right before his death in 1566 as it was called the Sulaymaniyya Madrasa in some sources upon completion, but over time it became known as the Salimiyya Madrasa (after Süleyman's son Selim II), and was subject to the Hanafi school. ==Usage history==

The complex later served as a gathering point for pilgrims who wanted to prepare for the annual Hajj. ==Cemetery==

The cemetery next to the mosque is the burial place of the last Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI, who was dethroned and forced into exile when the Ottoman sultanate was abolished in 1922. He died on May 16, 1926, in Sanremo, Italy and was buried at the cemetery of the Sulaymaniyya Takiyya. The mosque was chosen because it was located in the closest Muslim-majority country to Turkey and was built by his ancestors. There are almost thirty other graves of the Ottoman dynasty who died in exile and were not allowed to be buried in the Republic of Turkey at the time. ==Gallery==

Sulaymaniyya Takiyya (plaque).jpg|Plaque Takiyya as-Süleimaniyya Mosque 02.jpg|The minarets of the mosque seen from outside the fence Damascus Takiyya as-Süleimaniyya Mosque 7841.jpg|Mosque as seen from Shukri al-Quwwatli Street and the Barada River Sulaymaniyya Takiyya 5.jpg|The mosque courtyard in 1870 090 Nov 1942 - Grand mosque of Damascus, Syria.jpg|Mosque in 1942 Courtyard of the Salimiyya Madrasa in the Sulaymaniyya Takiyya, Damascus, Syria.jpg|Salimiyya Madrasa courtyard Damascus Sulaymaniyya Takiyya tomb of the last Sultan Mehmet VI 7886.jpg|Grave of the last Ottoman sultan, Mehmed VI (), in the cemetery Damascus Sulaymaniyya Takiyya tombs 7885.jpg|Grave of Ahmed Nihad, head of the imperial family from 1944 to 1954 Hatice Sultan tomb.jpg|Grave of Hatice Sultan, daughter of Murad V Cemetery of the Sulaymaniyya Takiyya - Grave of Refia Sultan.jpg|Grave of Refia Sultan, daughter of Abdülhamid II == See also ==