The eighteenth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson explores: What does the term “decorum” mean when it is applied to architecture? 

• In what ways was architectural decorum informed social and territorial hierarchies in the Ottoman empire? 

• How did a sultanic mosque differ from a mosque commissioned by a queen, princess or a vizier in terms of its architectural layout and features? 

• What were the innovations Sinan introduce into the Ottoman architectural idiom?

Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “Chief Court Architect Sinan and His Autobiography.” Lesson 18/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.