MIMAR SINAN'IN ISTANBUL'DAKI MEKANSAL ARAŞTIRMALARI VE KENT HEYKELLERI

Despite the prohibition of sculpture in Islamic art, the renowned Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan, transcended this limitation through his architectural mastery. Over his tenure as chief architect of the Ottoman Empire, spanning half a century, Sinan's constructions attained a monumental sculptural quality. Viewing constraints as opportunities for creative innovation, he transformed structures ranging from modest buildings to grand architectural complexes, aqueducts, and bridges into sculptural entities. The aesthetic sophistication of his works not only surpassed those of his predecessors and contemporaries but also integrated innovative technical solutions with refined artistic expression. Through his novel spatial compositions and continuous architectural experimentation, Sinan positioned himself at the confluence of art and science. Architecture, in his hands, became a vehicle for expressing religious devotion, political authority, and artistic ingenuity. By the late sixteenth century, Istanbul had been reshaped by his interventions, earning the moniker "Sinan's Istanbul." This study aims to explore the intersections of art and science within his oeuvre, emphasizing the sculptural nature of his structures and their impact on the spatial organization of Istanbul.