Suleymaniye Masjid restoration completed

Image via Sunday's Zaman newspaper

The Suleymaniye Masjid in Istanbul completed a three-year restoration process in November 2010 and will be open to the public again for prayers and tourism.  The masjid was commissioned by Suleyman the Magnificent and was built between 1551-1558 by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan.

Awe-inspiring from its opening, the Suleymaniye Masjid was a center of learning, service, as well as worship, and continues to play an active role in the lives of Turks today.

Many new discoveries were made during the restoration process, both artistic and scientific, such as new panels of calligraphy and an understanding of how the masjid achieved its amazing acoustics.

If you can't quite make it to Istanbul, there is a beautiful, online virtual tour of the grounds via the Aramco World website that dates back to 2006 (the latest restoration project started in 2007).  

Full story via the Sunday's Zaman website.