Takiyya as-Süleimaniyya

Lonely Planet review

Lying immediately east of the National Museum, Takiyya as-Süleimaniyya was built over six years, beginning in 1554, to a design by the Ottoman Empire's most brilliant architect, Sinan. A favourite of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, Sinan would later create the splendid Süleymaniye Mosque that dominates Istanbul's skyline.

The Takiyya (an Ottoman term for a Sufi hostel) is a more modest affair than the Istanbul mosque, blending local Syrian styles (the alternating Mamluk-era black-and-white banding and honeycomb-style stonework over the main entrance) with typically Turkish features (the high central dome and pencil-shaped minarets). It has two parts: the mosque to the south, and an arcaded courtyard with rooms that would have housed pilgrims. The former hostel area is now the Army Museum.

Under the patronage of Süleyman's successor, Selim II, the Takiyya compound was extended with the addition of a small madrassa. Built around a central courtyard and fountain, the madrassa now serves as Artisanat, an appealing handicraft market, where the former students' cells are now shops and ateliers.