Mimar Sinan is one of the leading architects of the Ottoman Empire. During the 16th century, Suleiman the Magnificent, II. Selim and III. He served as the chief architect during the Murat period. The works that Sinan built throughout his career have an important place in the history of architecture and are now known worldwide. One of his most important works is the Selimiye Mosque, which he calls “my masterpiece”. Mimar Sinan was born in the village of Ağırnas in Kayseri under the name Sinaneddin in 1488 and died in Istanbul on July 17, 1588.
In 1935, in an article in the Turkish newspapers of the period, it was stated that the tomb of Mimar Sinan was opened with the permission of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his skull was removed. In the news, the reason for carrying out this operation was explained as proving that Mimar Sinan was Turkish. As a result of the research on Mimar Sinan’s skull, it was determined that his skull was brachycephalic and Turkish, and it was stated that the skull would be preserved in the Anthropology Museum.
However, there are some doubts about the accuracy of these reports. Some sources suggest that Mimar Sinan’s tomb was not actually opened and his skull was not removed. Other sources claim that the tomb was opened and the skull was missing.
Where is Mimar Sinan’s Skull?
63 years after the news that Mimar Sinan’s skull was removed, on November 13, 1998, “Where is the Skull of Mimar Sinan?” A column was published. In his article, the author claimed that Mimar Sinan’s skull was removed from his grave and later disappeared. He stated that the skull, which was measured in 1935, was not put back into the grave, was not found in any government institution, and was missing. The news soon became the subject of newspapers, magazines and television programs. It caused controversy as it evoked racism, genocide and fascism in society. This claim was used by those who stigmatized Atatürk and the Republic of Turkey as racist, racist and genocidal.
The Turkish Historical Research Institute, of which Atatürk’s adopted daughter Afet Inan is the vice president, denied this news with an official statement the next day. In the statement published in the newspapers in 1935, it was stated that only a small part of Mimar Sinan’s tomb was opened in front of a committee selected by the Turkish Historical Research Institution and this opening was only made for the architectural examination of the tomb. As a result of the examinations, it was announced that a large part of the skeleton was in a deteriorated condition, so it was closed again in front of the same board members. In addition, it was emphasized that such allegations were propaganda activities against Atatürk and Turkish history.
In addition, it was stated in the statement that only the measurements of the parts of Mimar Sinan’s tomb, which are above and below the ground, were taken. In other words, the news that Mimar Sinan’s skull was examined was officially denied. With the official statement of the Turkish History Research Institute, these propaganda activities targeting Atatürk and Turkish history came to an end.
Architect Sedat Çetintaş, who was in the delegation that opened the tomb of Mimar Sinan, made a statement about what he saw in the tomb. He said that the tomb was made entirely of cut stone and that a stone on its side had been rotted and opened. He stated that he could stick his head through this opening with only one shoulder, and that the corpse was completely decomposed, while the head sample had collapsed into powder. He stated that he could only find ten-centimeter pieces of arm bones descending from the shoulders and only a piece with a diameter of 3-4 centimeters in the skull part of Mimar Sinan’s tomb. He gave these pieces to the anthropologist Şevket Aziz Kansu in the presence of the board of directors. Thanks to this event, Architect Sedat Çetintaş was able to survey the interior and exterior of Mimar Sinan’s tomb and include its plates among his works in the Painting and Sculpture Museum.
Ethnicity of Mimar Sinan
Besides his famous works, Mimar Sinan is one of the most important architects of the Ottoman Empire. However, there are different claims about the ethnic origin of Mimar Sinan. According to some sources, Mimar Sinan was born in the village of Ağırnas in Kayseri as a Greek, Armenian or Christian Turk. It is also among the allegations that he may belong to the Turkish community of Shaman belief living in Cappadocia.
However, rumors that Mimar Sinan was a devshirme were common during the Atatürk period. However, in reality, Mimar Sinan is known as a Muslim who came to Istanbul during the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim and joined the janissary corps. As a result, there is no clear information about the ethnic origin of Mimar Sinan. However, the fact that Mimar Sinan had an important position in the Ottoman Empire and was known for his famous works makes his importance in the history of architecture clear.
Although there is no definite information about the whereabouts of Mimar Sinan’s skull fragment, there are some claims and speculations. In some newspapers published in 1935, it was written that the skull fragment is in the Turkish-Islamic Arts Museum. However, no official statement has been made in this regard. According to some historians, the skull fragment is kept in Ankara University Faculty of Language, History and Geography. However, there is no exact information about its real location.
