Gülru Necipoglu discusses her study of Mimar Koca Sinan (c. 1489 1588), the Great Architect Sinan', who was appointed chief royal architect to the Ottoman court by Sultan Suleyman I in 1539. The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire Gulru Necipoglu Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Art Director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture.