This
17th century mosque, near Haghia
Sophia, is famous for the beautiful blue tile work ornamenting its walls.
Its surrounding six slim minarets distinguish
it from other mosques which normally have two
or four minarets. It was built by architect
Mehmet Aga by the order of Sultan Ahmed
I as a complex in seven years and became the most important
mosque
of the city, right in Sultanahmet square.
This
outstanding piece of architecture was built in
the 16th century by the famous Ottoman architect
Mimar
Sinan for Sultan Süleyman the Magnificient.
Standing on a hilltop of the ancient city over the
Golden
Horn, it contributes gracefully to the city's skyline. The
tombs of
the Sultan, his wife
Hürrem and
Mimar
Sinan are found within its compounds. It is the largest mosque
of Istanbul with four minarets.
The first mosque built after the conquest
of Istanbul, the great Mosque of Eyüp lies outside the city walls
in Eyüp district, near the Golden
Horn, at the supposed place where Eyüp (Eyyub el Ensari), the
standard bearer of the Prophet Muhammed, died
in the Islamic assault on Constantinople (Istanbul)
in 670. Today it's considered as the second place of pilgrimage
for Muslims after Mecca.
Built over the ruins of the Church of Apostles, Fatih Mosque was constructed
between 1463 and 1470 and bears the name of the Ottoman
conquerer of Istanbul,
Fatih Sultan Mehmet. The mosque
is the site of his mausoleum. Its vast size and its great complex of religious
buildings, including medreses (theological school),
hospices, baths, a hospital and a library, make
it well worth a visit.
Beautiful
17th century mosque situated in Eminönü
district near the Egyptian Spice Bazaar
next to the Golden Horn. The doves flocking
its compounds in large numbers provide a sight worth seeing. The interior of the mosque
have great examples of Ottoman tile work.
The
mosque
is located on the shores of the
Bosphorus in Ortaköy district.
It was built in 1853 by the royal architect Nikogos Balyan, during the reign
of Sultan Abdulmecid. The mosque
is designed in Baroque style and has a fine location. It is composed of
intimate rooms and a private area for the sultans.
The wide and tall windows were designed to let in light from all around
the Bosphorus. It has two minarets
each with a single gallery that are be reached by a flight of stairs. The
walls are made of white stone. The walls of the mosque's
only dome were decorated with pink mosaics. Its recess in the wall of the
kiblah was made of marble and decorated
with mosaic, and the mihrab (pulpit) where
the preacher stands was made with porphyry covered marble.
The complex, which is scattered throughout Beyazit Square, was built by Sultan Bayezid II and completed in the years 1500-1505. It was originally thought to have been designed by Mimar Sinan Hayreddin or Mimar Kemaleddin but later research suggests the architect may been Yakubsah Bin Sultan.
The complex is composed of a mosque, a kitchen, a primary school, a hospital, a medrese, a hamam, a soup kitchen for the poor and a caravanserai. It differs from the Fatih complex before it in that it was not built symmetrically but in a seemingly random style.
Beyazit Mosque is at the center of the complex. Its main dome is 16.78
meters in diameter and is supported by four pillars. An oddity is that
one of the minarets is 79 meters from
the other and is contiguous with the hospital. The stone and wood craftsmanship
and stained glass are artistic masterpieces. The courtyard paving
materials and pillars used for the reservoir for ablutions were reclaimed
from Byzantine ruins and re-used. These pillars
in particular demonstrate the quality of Byzantine
workmanship. The soup kitchen and Caravanserai
are to the left of the mosque and are used today
by the Beyazit State Library. The medresse far
to the right of the mosque is used as a museum
by the Turkish Foundation of Calligraphy. The hamam
is some distance from the medresse on Ordu Street
next to the Department of Literature. Tombs are found on the Kiblah
[Mecca] side of the mosque.
Sultan Bayezid II, his daughter Selçuk Hatun and the architect of
Tanzimat Fermani, Mustafa Resit Pasa, are buried here.
The
Dolmabahçe Mosque is located on the Bosphorus
in the southern part of Dolmabahce Palace.
Construction of the mosque began at the behest
of Sultan Abdülmecid's mother, Bezmialem
Valide Sultan, but when she died, Sultan Abdülmecid took over. It
was completed in 1855, and the architect was Karabet Balyan. It is one
of the highly decorated Baroque-style
mosques.
Being part of the palace complex, the
mosque contains
a front section in which the sovereign and state officials could worship
and a two-storey section for the sovereign suitable for the public procession
of the Sultan to the mosque
on Fridays. The circular arrangement of the windows, which resembles a
peacock's tail, is an unusual sight relatively unknown among the architects
of mosques.
The two minarets both have a gallery.
The inner door is decorated in a mixture of the Baroque and Empire styles.
A valuable chandelier hangs from the alcove. The niche (mihrap)
and pulpit (minber) of the mosque
are made of porphyry marble.
During
the 12th century, the Byzantine Empress Irene
and Emperor John II Kommenos commissioned the Pantocrator, a three-church
monastic complex, to serve as the dynastic mausoleum for themselves and
later Byzantine emperors. In the 14th and 15th
centuries, Palaeiologan emperors were also buried in the multidomed structure
in the heart of what is now the old city of Istanbul.
After the Ottoman conquest in 1453, the buildings were converted to a Medresse (Koranic school) and subsequently to a mosque. One part of the Zeyrek Camii is still used for Muslim worship. But the building is situated in a poor neighborhood of immigrants who have little historical and cultural attachment to it. The impressive structure has been allowed to deteriorate in the past. Because the structure remains relatively stable, the most immediate actions required are to secure it from further damage from the weather. Restoration work is on its way but funding is still needed to complete re-roofing, replace all the windows, repair damaged walls, and consolidate interior surfaces.
Zeyrek Mosque is selected as 100 most endangered sites of the world
by World Monuments Fund.
Other interesting mosques in the city are: Nuruosmaniye, Mihrimah, Arap, Atik Ali Pasa, Beylerbeyi, Hirka-i Serif, Kalenderhane, Kilic Ali Pasa, Laleli, Mahmud Pasa, Mihrimah Sultan, Nusretiye, Rüstem Pasa, Sokullu Pasa, Sultan Selim, Sehzade, Valide etc. For more information please contact to Mr. . ..
|