The Hagia Sophia Mosque and Selim ll The Middle East as we know it today emerged from the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman history involves not only the Ottoman dynasty but also this great empire ruled by Arabs, Serbs, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Albanians, North Africans and others. At one time in history, the Ottomans were considered one of the major powers in the world. Their civilization had a major impact on many other societies of those times through trade, culture and religion. It constitutes the history of major religious groups including Muslims, Christians and Jews. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin with, the Ottomans had a very efficient administrative system, which led to their successful era. The Ottoman Empire was ruled by the Sultan, a king-like ruler who claimed a religious position. For example, the Sultan would claim the position of Caliph, the supreme temporal leader of Islam. The influence of religion had a significant effect on the supreme power claimed by the sultan. By claiming the title of Capiffo, a religious loyalty was created between the Islamic people and the Sultan. Officially, the Sultan was the government. He enjoyed absolute power and, at least in theory, was personally involved in every government decision. In the Ottoman experience of government, everything that represented state government came from the hands of the Sultan himself. The Ottoman Empire lasted for over six centuries. Due to its success through expansion and control, the empire proved highly successful in almost every endeavor. The Ottomans were already expert empire builders and had established a strong, centralized administration. They were a predominantly military power (Armstrong 323). The Ottoman Empire is famous for its architecture. The Ottoman style is geometric, formalistic, and never ornamental: meaningful rather than beautiful (Goodwin 130). Sinan, the Great, was a famous Ottoman architect, starting with a career in the army where he traveled throughout the Near East and the Balkans. Subsequently, around 1539, at the age of fifty, he assumed the position of head of the corps of architects of the empire (Kostof 461). He built no fewer than 355 buildings or complexes. He built 81 mosques, 50 prayer halls, 62 madrasas, 19 mausoleums or turbes, 17 caravanserais, three hospitals and seven aqueducts. Most importantly, Sinan built the sultanic mosques of Suleyman in Istanbul and Suleyman's successor, Selim II, in Edrin. The Sulimiye is his masterpiece (Stierlin 116). He was an architect who grew up in one of the most splendid periods of the Ottoman state, and who contributed to this era with his works. The Sehzade Mosque, which is Sinan's first major work, comprises two equal squares as a courtyard and prayer hall plus two graceful minarets (Kuran 198). The word Sehzade comes from the Persian language in which it means crown prince. This first sultanic mosque was built in memory of Suleyman's son, Prince Mehmet. It measures 90 x 50 m, 185 m long and 120 m wide. This mosque consists of two squares like courtyard and prayer hall with two beautiful minarets adding further attraction to its architecture. There are various smaller domes on each corner of its upper structure, making it one of the distinctive features of the mosque. (Stierlin 120). Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Another of his magnificent works includes Selim II Mosque 1568-1575. The mosque has a dormitory that includes 4 minarets, more than sixty meters high.