MAKING THE WORLD A
MORE BEAUTIFUL PLACE
What was it like to be an Ottoman princess? Mihrimah was one of the most famous princesses; however, she might not be considered typical because her father was the most powerful Ottoman sultan, and consequently, she also was very powerful.
Mihrimah Sultan was the daughter of the sultan and leader of the Ottoman Empire, Süleyman the Great, and his wife Hürrem, also known as Roxelana. Süleyman and Roxelana had several sons; however, Mihrimah remained their
only daughter. At the sultaån’s palace in Topkapı, Mihrimah received the kind of education that would make herfit to marry a high-ranking administrator within the Ottoman Empire. She learned to read and write, and many of her letters have been preserved at the Topkapı Palace Archives.
At the age of seventeen, Mihrimah married Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha, and with the help of her mother, the three formed a group that gained power within the palace courts.
As the daughter of the Ottoman ruler, Mihrimah used her power and influence to make the Ottoman world a beautiful place. Mihrimah loved architecture and even commissioned the construction of four mosque complexes in Istanbul.
Two of these complexes were built in her own name. Her first complex was built at Üsküdar in Istanbul between 1543 or
1544 and 1548. This beautiful mosque still stands today, with its massive dome and gray and cream-colored stonework.
When her mosque was being built, Süleyman ordered the construction of another mosque in honor of his son Mehmed who had recently died. Mihrimah and Mehmed’s mosques were each given two towering minarets. These eye-catching minarets showed the special status of Süleyman’s two children.
Mihrimah had hired the architect Mimar Sinan to build the mosque in Üsküdar. Impressed by his skill and creativity, she found many other projects for the architect. Mimar Sinan built a mosque for Mihrimah’s brother-in-law and another mosque for her deceased husband. Her husband’s mosque sat on the hill below Süleyman’s mosque complex, and it was a wonder to behold. Inside, exquisite and colorful Iznik tiles covered the walls. These tiles had a special meaning. Because the mosque was built in a crowded area, there was no room to create large gardens around the building, so the floral patterns on the tiles helped bring flowers inside a mosque without gardens!
Mihrimah’s last mosque was built in Edirnekapı and completed in 1569. Today, this mosque stands out from the rest because it had six tiers of windows and a single dome. This was an unusual look for the time, and perhaps we have Mihrimah to thank. She not only provided the money to build these incredible buildings, she also told Sinan how she wanted them to be designed.
Mihrimah became a very wealthy woman because of her husband’s riches, but also because of her father’s generosity. She and her father remained close up until the day he died. Even after Süleyman passed away, Mihrimah continued to have a strong influence on the empire. When Mihrimah’s brother Selim II became sultan, she was still wealthier than her brother, the new ruler of the Ottoman Empire. Mihrimah’s wealth was the key to her lasting power.
As a woman, Mihrimah played a powerful role in the Ottoman Empire, unique in that time in history. When she died in 1578, she was the only one of Süleyman’s children to be buried in his tomb in Istanbul. Even after her death, she would continue to make an impact. Mihrimah’s descendants went on to hold important positions in Ottoman society. In fact, her descendants were known as sultanzade (son of the sultan) because they were related to the princess. To this day, her legacy continues to adorn the old capital of the Ottoman Empire. So if you ever travel to Istanbul, make a point to go see the beautiful mosques Mihrimah built!