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Mihrimah Mosque Choose another wonder
Location: Istanbul, Turkey Completion Date: 1555 Diameter: 66 feet Type: Ribbed Purpose: Religious Materials: Concrete Architect: Sinan The earliest great domes, like the Pantheon, were made of solid concrete for fear that windows in a dome would lead to its collapse. In time, ancient engineers realized they could think of a dome as a circular ring of arches, which meant they could open up the spaces between the arches, creating windows. Sinan, one of the greatest architect-engineers of the 16th century, pierced one of his most famous domes, the Mihrimah Mosque, with more windows than any architect had ever dared before.
Rumors were that Sinan was in love with the Sultan's married daughter, Princess Mihrimah. To express his love, Sinan constructed a dome unlike any other. The Mihrimah Mosque was the lightest structure Sinan had ever built, pierced all the way around with 161 windows. Four immense arches support the dome, and glass walls fill the spaces between the arches. An elegant blend of art and engineering, the Mihrimah Mosque still stands today, almost entirely in its original form. Here's how this dome stacks up against some of the biggest domes in the world.(diameter, in feet)
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