Re-Reading an Architecture Text via Rhetoric: Suleymaniye Mosque Narrative in Tezkiretu’l-Bunyan

This paper, intends to propose the textual representations of architecture for the agenda, is mentioned Süleymaniye Mosque narrative in Tezkiretü’l-Bünyân (The Record of Construction) which is a crucial manuscript of Ottoman writing tradition. With this purpose, a re-reading method is tried via rhetoric art that involves the meanings of effective speaking, writing and persuasion in this text analysis. Rhetoric’s imagery term, that means imagination, image, imitation, description and definition, is chosen as a tool in re-reading method. Tezkiretü’l-Bünyân as a case of this paper includes significant presumptions, which are belonging to Ottoman architecture literature and intelligence. Tezkiretü’l-Bünyân consists of six buildings of Architect Sinan and also is a complete narrative of Sinan’s life and buildings. Therefore, this paper analyses the Süleymaniye Mosque narrative via rhetoric as an example of re-reading the architecture texts. So the subject analysis aims to resettle an architecture text to the agenda of readers and to rethink the connection of text and rhetoric.