The Sulaymaniyya Takiyya (; ) is a takiyya (Ottoman-era Arabic name for a mosque complex which served as a Sufi convent) in Damascus, Syria, located on the right bank of the Barada River. Commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Süleyman I, the western building of the complex was built, following the plans of Mimar Sinan, between 1554 and 1559. Another building was added eastwards from it in 1566 to be used as a madrasa (which became known as the Salimiyya Madrasa, named after Süleyman's son Selim II, although this building too may have been commissioned by Süleyman before his death). Although not the first Ottoman building in Damascus (that is considered to have been the Salimiyya Takiyya in as-Salihiyya), the Sulaymaniyya Takiyya is considered to have marked the introduction of the Ottoman architectural style to Damascus. In the centuries following its construction, the Sulaymaniyya Takiyya became an important stop on the "Syrian route" of pilgrims to Mecca, and it is considered to this day "as the most important Ottoman cultural building" in Damascus. In the cemetery of the complex, the last Ottoman sultan is buried, Mehmed VI, who was forced into exile upon the abolition of the Ottoman sultanate in 1922. Construction Sultan Suleiman I who had recently lost two sons, as he executed his son Şehzade Mustafa, followed by Şehzade Cihangir who died of grief, wanted to establish a mosque for the salvation of his soul, so he chose the site of his father Selim I's former palace in Damascus. Western building The construction of the western building was commissioned in 1554–55 during the reign of governor Şemsi Pasha, until it was completed in 1558–59. This building was masterminded by Mimar Sinan and built by local craftsmen, on the location of Baibars' Ablaq Palace which was destroyed by Tamerlane forces during the siege of Damascus. It is composed of a large mosque on the southwest side of a courtyard, flanked by a single line of stone arcading, and a soup kitchen (known in Turkish as imaret) across the courtyard to the northwest, flanked by hospice buildings. Mosque The mosque has two minarets and Ottoman-style domes. It also has walls with alternating light and dark stripes, an architectural feature known as ablaq and of Syrian origin. The mosque has been described as "the finest example of Ottoman architecture in Damascus". Eastern building In addition to the first building and eastwards from