Sinan’s Signature: The Büyükçekmece Waystation

1. 01
   History

   Look for the Signature on the Stone

   Start at the Büyükçekmece end of the 635-meter bridge and trace the details of this remarkable work: 28 arches across four rising and falling sections. It was begun on Suleiman’s order and completed by his son after the sultan died at Szigetvár; according to the inscription, it was finished in 1567–68. The real surprise is written on the stone itself: “amel-i Yûsuf b. Abdullah.” Yusuf was Sinan’s birth name, making this the only known work that bears his signature.

   Kanuni Sultan Süleyman (Mimar Sinan) Köprüsü, Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey
2. 02
   Art

   Step Inside the Waystation Mosque

   Continue to the mosque built in 1566–67, in the same years as the bridge. This was the worship stop of the waystation. On its walls, cut stone and brick alternate in bands, a classic-period masonry pattern that is both structural and visual. Travelers would stop here before or after crossing the bridge; this was not the mosque of a neighborhood, but the mosque of a road.

   Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Camii, Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey
3. 03
   Local

   See the Inn That Lost Its Lead Roof

   Visit the caravanserai, the lodging part of the waystation. Measuring 48 by 20 meters, it dates to the reign of Suleiman, though its exact year and architect are not securely documented. Its name came from its roof: Kurşunlu Han, the Lead-Roofed Inn. Today that lead covering is gone and the roof is tiled, so the very feature that gave the building its name is no longer there.

   Kurşunlu Han (Büyükçekmece Kervansarayı), Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey
4. 04
   Exploration

   Finish at the Water of the Waystation

   End at the white marble fountain, six meters high and arranged in three sections, each with a pointed-arch niche and a tap. Dated 1566, this was the water stop of the waystation. Think of the four structures in sequence — cross, pray, sleep, drink. That is exactly what a menzil was, and all four parts still stand here together.

   Sultan Süleyman Çeşmesi, Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey

Check opening hours before you go. Hours, access conditions and weather can change.