# Süleymaniye mobile environment — reference brief

Scope: one recognizable Süleymaniye Mosque plus exactly ten Ottoman-inspired houses defining two long streets. This is an illustrated realistic game environment, not a conservation survey. All dimensions below are published values or explicit design estimates; no site measurements were made.

## Architectural priorities

- Exactly four minarets at the courtyard corners. The pair adjoining the prayer hall is taller with three balconies each; the outer courtyard pair has two balconies each: ten balconies total.
- Central dome, two large opposing half-domes along the prayer axis, and smaller domes over lateral bays. Do not substitute the four-radial-half-dome scheme of a different Ottoman mosque.
- Distinguish the open arcaded courtyard from the enclosed prayer hall. The courtyard does not surround the mosque on all four sides.
- Use pale warm gray limestone, restrained red/cream arch accents where photographed, gray lead domes, faceted minaret shafts and pointed caps. Keep main window tiers and strong buttress masses.
- Houses: stone or plaster ground floor, timber-clad upper floors, projecting enclosed cumba bays on brackets, tall divided windows, broad eaves, terracotta roofs. Weathering belongs primarily in textures.

## Scale and certainty

| Element | Working value | Evidence / certainty |
|---|---:|---|
| Main dome apex above prayer-floor datum | 53 m | Published by Visit Istanbul; not surveyed here; do not confuse apex elevation with dome-shell height |
| Main dome diameter | 26.5 m provisional | Widely published secondary value; Visit Istanbul says 27.5 m, a source discrepancy requiring survey resolution |
| Prayer hall clear footprint | about 58.5 × 57.5 m | Published secondary value; interior dimension, not automatically exterior bounding box |
| Tall / short minaret heights | about 76 / 56 m provisional | Published research secondary citation; spire/finial datum not independently verified |
| Mosque exterior prayer-hall footprint | 64 × 62 m | Modeling estimate allowing wall/buttress thickness; adjust from photos |
| Open courtyard + porticoes | about 64 × 50 m | Modeling estimate from aerial proportions |
| House footprints | 8–13 m wide × 9–15 m deep | Design estimates, not measured Süleymaniye properties |
| House storeys / eaves | 2–3 / 7–11 m | Design estimates based on visual typology |
| Cumba projection | 0.6–1.0 m | Design estimate |
| Roof pitch | 20–30 degrees | Design estimate |
| Street carriageway / pedestrian edge | 5–6 m / 0.8–1.2 m | Game-layout estimates |
| Each long street | 180 m | Coordinator-approved game-layout length; gaps/walls/gardens extend ten-house frontage |

## Mobile production envelope

Coordinator requirement: entire scene under 150,000 triangles, landmark about 35,000, houses 3,000–6,000 each, shared 1–2K texture atlases. Preserve dome, minaret and cumba silhouettes; bake lead seams, stone joints, carving, timber boards and most window subdivision into textures/normal maps. Use few material slots, shared house-kit modules and LODs. The generated detail drawings communicate appearance, not a demand for microgeometry.

Coordinator-approved layout supersedes all generated plans: prayer hall x = -32..32, y = 0..62 m; courtyard x = -32..32, y = -50..0 m. Two parallel streets have centerlines x = -45 and +45 m, each y = -90..90 m. Ten houses occupy two rows, x = -59 and +59 m, at y = -70, -49, -28, -7, +14 m in each row. All coordinates are authored game-layout values, not GIS or site measurements. Extend streets through wall/garden segments rather than inventing additional houses. Maintain a cemetery/garden zone behind the qibla end if visible.

## Source authority

- [UNESCO Historic Areas of Istanbul](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/356/): identifies Süleymaniye quarter, mosque complex, bazaars and vernacular settlement as part of the serial World Heritage property; confirms timber housing significance.
- [Visit Istanbul — Süleymaniye Mosque](https://visit.istanbul/suleymaniye-mosque): municipal visitor source, four minarets, ten balconies, 53 m height and 27.5 m diameter.
- [Anadolu Agency — Mimar Sinan](https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/kultur-sanat/eserleriyle-caglari-asan-deha-mimar-sinan/2203203): authentic overhead photograph credited to İslam Yakut; strongest downloaded roof-plan reference.
- [Istanbul through my eyes — Süleymaniye streets, 2008](https://istanbulstreets.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/suleymaniye-old-streets-and-wooden-houses/): authentic dated street photograph; use for timber cladding, lower-floor shops and stone enclosure wall, not current condition.
- [Süleymaniye Mosque overview](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%BCleymaniye_Mosque): secondary dimension cross-check, 26.5 m dome and 58.5 × 57.5 m interior; provisional only.
- [Published research PDF](https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4838403): search-indexed 76/56 m minaret figures; provisional until datum is verified.

Photographs remain attributed reference inputs; generated sheets are interpretations. Use source photographs over generated geometry whenever they disagree. Final sheet-specific inspection findings will be recorded in DISCREPANCIES.md.