An author and artist who has continually stripped away the mystique of architectural structures that have long fascinated modern people, David Macaulay here reveals the methods and materials used to design and construct a mosque in late-sixteenth- century Turkey. Through the fictional story and Macaulay"s distinctive full-color illustrations, readers will learn not only how such monumental structures were built but also how they functioned in relation to the society they served. As always, Macaulay has given a great deal of attention to the relationship between pictures and text, creating another brilliant celebration of an architectural wonder.
 

"The building complex in this story is fictional, as are its patrons and architect. The individual structures, however, are modeled directly on existing examples built between 1540 and 1580 in and around Istanbul, Turkey, by Sinan, the most famous architect of the Ottoman Empire....It seems to me that the best examples of religious architecture are among mankind's proudest accomplishments. When working in the service of some higher entity, we humans seem capable of surpassing our reach and perhaps even our expectations. Driven by faith, but guided ultimately by common sense, these constructions reveal a remarkable level of ingenuity, ambition, and craftsmanship rarely found in secular architecture."

* ISBN:         0618240349
* Author:      David Macaulay
* Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books; (October 27, 2003)
* Format:     Hardcover, 96 pages