Step up to this 17th century mosque, surrender your shoes and step inside for a breathtaking moment. The handmade tiles are especially beautiful when combined with the soft glow from hundreds of candles. This well-kept mosque is a working house of worship so please be respectful. Keep your voices down, do not use flash photography and stay away from the prayer areas if you are not a Muslim.

The gardens outside offer a great view of the mosque and are well manicured. They're also great for a break.

There is no entrance fee.

The complex is very worthy of the name magnificent. The gardens surrounding the mosque are peaceful and a good place to wander and admire the exterior of the building. In its shape it is reminiscent of Aya Sofia, that being an inspiration for the architect Sinan. High arches topped with domes surround the large courtyard and four slender minarets mark the corners. These reputedly represent the fact that Suleyman was the fourth Ottoman ruler of Istanbul.

The design is derived from the famous prototype Hagia Sophia. Two half-domes and two tympanum walls buttress the central dome, which has a diameter of 85 feet and a height of 170 feet. Four great pillars support the dome inside. The layout includes four minarets, a typical number for a large mosque. The two taller minarets are positioned adjacent to the mosque.

Before entering the great mosque, hang around the colonnaded forecourt (avlu) and appreciate the beautiful exterior and how its elements react with the blue sky above. The ablution fountain centers this courtyard, which really does seem peaceful in comparison with tourist meccas like the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia. The prayer hall measures as a rectangle with sides of 230 and 200 feet in length. Colorfully patterned Iznik tiles help to decorate the vast interiors.

Complimentary buildings like various schools, hammans, a hospital, and soup kitchen surrounded the mosque. The gardens behind the mosque also include the revered mausoleums of Suleyman and his wife Roxelana. Things seem a little quieter here, so the only touts you may run into here are youngsters selling packs of tissues. For those looking for the tomb of the architect himself, Sinan is also buried at a location just southwest of the mosque.

If you keep wandering down the hill in a southerly direction, you will come across the Istanbul University campus. Further along you will encounter the Grand Bazaar.

Of course, before entering in the mosque, you will have to take off your shoes (that is a tradition). It's an Islamic rule that women can’t enter the mosques, but since this one is a popular touristy sight, women can go in, too. You can stay while the service is on, but the best time to look around is between 5 and 7pm because there is no service at that time and there are no believers, so you can just walk around and not be afraid that you’ll disturb somebody during their prayer. It’s a "must see" sight.

In the yard there is an old man who sells traditional Islamic hats -- they're very cheap and it's a beautiful souvenir that will remind you of this marvelous piece of art. Also there are many people that will tell you about the mosque’s history for a very cheap price-around five dollars. They speak many different languages, so you’ll understand no matter where you’re from.

Even though 1,000 years apart, because Sinan worked on the Aya Sofya and became influenced by its form and structure, Suleymaniye shares many similarities with this beautiful church. The basic concept of the central domed space made larger by attached semidomed spaces, for example, is repeated at Suleymaniye.

The mosque is preceded by a porticoed courtyard of exceptional grandeur which is anchored by four minarets. The number of minarets represents the fact that Suleyman was the fourth sultan to reign in Istanbul. The ten balconies denote that he was the tenth sultan of the Ottoman.

Entering the mosque you will find yourself in a vast, almost square room surmounted by a dome. To the east and west the dome is supported by semidomes, to the north and south by arches. The result is a soaring space that gives the impression the dome is held up by divine cooperation.

The Mosque of Süleyman houses the tombs of Suleyman, his wife and Sinan.

Compared to the Topkapi Palace, Sultanhamet, Aya Sofya, Hippodrome and Basilica Cistern which are located next to each other in the same area of Old Istanbul, Suleyman is a little bit out of the way for tourists but it surely deserves a visit for its serenity and beauty. Here you will not be trammed by tourists like you would at the other places. The day we were there, we were the only tourists!