www.todayszaman.com  The Kayseri  Mayor's Office has announced that the life of Mimar Koca Sinan (Great Architect Sinan) will be the subject of an animated feature film.

Mayor Osman Gأƒآ¼neş says they hope to transfer the information about Sinan's life and his great works to an innovative medium. The project is planned to tell coming generations and the world the story of this great Ottoman architect whose abilities were beyond examples during his time and after, the mayor said.

Mimar Koca Sinan, born in Kayseri in 1489, was taken to İstanbul as a "devşirme (children taken to the Ottoman palace for military and arts training) by the ninth Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim. After improving his skills, wisdom and creativity he came to be known as the genius architect of the empire.

Various sources state that Sinan was the architect of around 360 structures that included 84 mosques, 51 small mosques (mescit), 57 schools of theology (medrese), seven schools for Koran students (darulkurra), 22 mausoleums (turbe), 17 alms houses (imaret), three hospitals (darussifa), seven aqueducts and arches, 48 inns (caravanserai), 35 palaces and mansions, eight vaults and 46 baths. For nearly 50 years Sinan was chief architect of the palace, which meant being the top construction supervisor in the Ottoman Empire, and worked with a large team of assistants consisting of architects and master builders.

Among his greatest works carrying his genius signature are the Şehzade Mosque from his apprenticeship period, Sأƒآ¼leymaniye Mosque from his qualification stage and Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, the product of his master stage.

Another area of architecture where Sinan delivered unique projects was mausoleums. The mausoleum of Şehzade Mehmed is particularly noteworthy with its exterior decorations and sliced dome. Rأƒآ¼stem Paşa mausoleum is another attractive structure in the classical style. The mausoleum of Sأƒآ¼leyman the Magnificent, one of his most interesting experimentations, has an octagonal body and flat dome.

 Selim II's mausoleum has a square plan and is one of the best examples of Turkish mausoleum architecture. Sinan's own mausoleum, located in the northeast corner of the Suleymaniye complex, is a very plain structure, prompting visitors to ask the question "Why?"

Bridges are other important structures carrying Sinan's characteristic mark, masterfully combining art with functionality. The largest work in this group is the nearly 635-meter-long Bأƒآ¼yأƒآ¼kأƒآ§ekmece Bridge in Istanbul between Lake Bأƒآ¼yأƒآ¼kأƒآ§ekmece and Bأƒآ¼yأƒآ¼kأƒآ§ekmece Bay (Marmara Sea) built as a way for troops returning from Europe and Thrace and the Balkans. Some parts of this bridge still stand today with their Middle European style. Other significant examples are the Silivri Bridge outside of Istanbul; the Luleburgaz (Sokullu Mehmet Pasha) Bridge on the Luleburgaz River, the Sinanli Bridge over the Ergene River; and the Drina Bridge, which became the title of a famous novel by Yugoslav author Ivo Andric.

While Sinan was restoring and improving Istanbul's water supply system, he built arched aqueducts at several locations within the city. Maglova Arch over the Alibey River, which is 257 meters long, 35 meters high and displays two layers of arches, is one of the best examples of its kind.

The works, or should we say the oeuvres, of the Great Architect Sinan are precious, just like the works of Da Vinci in Italy. But Sinan has faced the poor destiny experienced by every Turkish historical figure. He has never yet been the subject of a movie. Many books have been written about him and many things said around the world by researchers in history and art. But Turkish film and art falls behind in doing justice to Sinan's life. Just like the other forgotten personas in Ottoman history, research is generally kept behind closed doors and is only known by academics. Thus, this new movie project should be considered a good beginning to change our evaluation of history.

According to Kayseri Mayor Gأƒآ¼neş, a special committee will be established for the film project to monitor progress weekly. Gأƒآ¼neş said, "The movie will be 70 minutes long and will be finished by the end of September 2007." Gأƒآ¼neş told reporters that from April 7-9 a series of social activities known as "Mimar Sinan Gأƒآ¼nleri" (Mimar Sinan Days) will be held in Kayseri.