Mimar Hayruddin

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Born around 1500, Mimar Hayruddin was an Ottoman chief architect and civil engineer. He studied under the famous architect Mimar Sinan and worked for Sultan Bayezid II and later Suleiman the Magnificent. He designed several important buildings, including the Stari Most (Old Bridge) in Mostar, the Bayezid II Mosque in Istanbul, the Bayezid II Complex in Edirne, and another complex in Amasya. The Stari Most is considered a classic example of Balkan Islamic architecture. Legend says he feared the bridge would fail and prepared to die when it opened after nine years of work. The bridge stood until it was destroyed in 1993 during the war; it was rebuilt from 2001 to 2004 at a cost of about $15.5 million. The Bayezid II Complex sits on the Tunca River and includes a mosque, medical school, hospital and bathhouse; in 2019 it attracted about 7,000 visitors daily. Hayruddin is regarded as one of the founders of the classical Ottoman style of architecture.