The foundation of the Süleymaniye Mosque and Complex, a masterpiece of our architecture by Mimar Sinan, was laid in 1550 and was completed and opened in 1557 after seven years of construction. It is an undeniable fact that the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent was not only a crucial phase in Turkish history and the peak of the Ottoman era, but also an exceptional chapter in world history. The endowment deed (Vakfiye) of this magnificent structure, which emerged during this period 467 years ago, was published in 1962 by Kemâl Edîb Kürkçüoğlu, one of the esteemed figures of our cultural history, featuring an introduction and a Latinized text. The text prepared by Kürkçüoğlu was compiled 164 days (exactly five and a half months) before the date of 964 AH (1557 AD), in the final days of Dhu al-Hijjah, when the mosque was opened for worship. Let us read the rest from Kürkçüoğlu:

"On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the opening of the Süleymaniye Mosque to the service of God and the people, we are presenting the facsimile and reading of this work for the examination of the world of knowledge and the benefit of the public. This is the endowment deed prepared at the time concerning the Süleymaniye community—with its sanctuary, madrasas, schools of hadith, soup kitchen, hospital, tombs, and others—as well as two hospices in Istanbul and Edirne, and the Şehzade Mehmed and Cihangir Mosques along with their supplementary buildings.

However, this endowment deed is not the original copy, which would have contained the seals and signatures of the witnesses and whose whereabouts remain unknown today, but rather a transcript whose accuracy and conformity to the original were certified by the Rumelian Kazasker of the era. It is currently preserved in the Archives of the General Directorate of Foundations' Archive and Publication Department.”