MIMAR SINAN
Mimar Sinan (mimar meaning "architect") was born in a village near Kayseri in central Anatolia at the turn of the sixteenth century. In about 1512 he was enrolled in the Janissary Corps, an elite wing of the Ottoman army where youngsters were schooled in Islam and trained to fight for the Sultan. He participated in many military campaigns ranging from Central Europe to Iran and Iraq and received regular promotions. In his role of military engineer he oversaw the building of fortifications, ships and bridges. During his extensive travels for military purposes he must have seen fine examples of the architecture of several civilizations, and taken note of their qualities. On the basis of his exceptional talents and gift for organization, he was appointed chief architect to the Sultan in 1538. Mimar Sinan experimented boldly with domed structure and interior space in a vast array of mosques. In a momentous development in the history of architecture -- observing Islamic principles of design and aesthetics -- he oversaw a great historical metamorphosis of the mosque. From his appointment as chief architect until his death at the age of at least ninety, he was responsible, with the assistance of a corps of architects, for the design and construction of over four hundred buildings, including mosques, medresas, mausoleums, hospitals, soup kitchens, aqueducts, inns, palaces, and baths.1
Mimar Sinan's work is characterized by spiritual ambition and down to earth practicality, technical expertise and aesthetic excellence. A form of architecture, web design is also at its best, we believe, when it combines and balances these attributes. Our goal is to emulate these great qualities in the work that we do for our clients, that’s why we chose Mimar Sinan as our name-sake.
1. Source: Washington State University, School of Architecture