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The Eyüp Sultan Mosque ( Turkish : Eyüp Sultan Camii ) is a mosque in Eyüp district of Istanbul , Turkey . The mosque complex includes a mausoleum marking the spot where Ebu Eyüp el-Ansari (Abu Ayyub al-Ansari) , the standard-bearer and companion of the prophet Muhammad , is said to have been buried. On a much older site, the present building dates from the beginning of the 19th century.

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112-543: Because of its particular sanctity, the mosque played a role in the coronation ceremony for new Ottoman Sultans, who came here - processing along the grand Cülus Yolu (Accession Way) - to be girded with the Sword of Osman at the start of their reigns. Today it remains a popular pilgrimage destination. The mosque is named after Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Eyüp Sultan in Turkish ), a companion and trusted friend of Muhammad , who

224-541: A grand shoreline palace at Defterdarburnu (near Ortaköy ) on the Bopshorus. In the 1790s she commissioned Antoine Ignace Melling to add a European Neo-Classical pavilion to the palace. Along with the palace of Beyhan and Esma Sultan on the Golden Horn, her palace may have been one of the first Ottoman palaces to consist of a single block stretching along the shoreline. Most of these palaces have not survived to

336-471: A break caused by Covid-19 precautions). During Ramadan this is also a popular place for people to break their fast at iftar , with many choosing to picnic in the courtyard of the mosque. Throughout the year Eyüp Sultan is also a destination of pilgrimage ( ziyaret ) for people visiting from all over the country. Despite the relatively late date of its reconstruction, the Eyüp Sultan Mosque

448-575: A certain introspection among Ottoman architects of the time about the city's past and about the connection between Ottoman architecture and Byzantine architecture. This was abetted by the fact that some Baroque motifs evoked forms and motifs that are also found in Byzantine architecture, including the Hagia Sophia. A sense of historical consciousness or historicism in Ottoman architecture of

560-431: A deliberate effort by the sultan and his court to promote the new style. Scholar Doğan Kuban states that Baroque motifs spread gradually from one architectural element to another, progressively replacing the sharper geometric decoration of the classical era with more dynamic curved forms such as the "S" and "C" curves and eventually with even more flamboyant European Baroque elements. The most important monument heralding

672-431: A fully Baroque style. Its design illustrates the degree of influence exerted by the earlier Beylerbeyi Mosque, as it incorporates a wide imperial pavilion that stretches across its front façade. However, the design of the imperial pavilion was further refined: the two wings of the pavilion are raised on a marble arcade and there is space in the middle, between the two wings, where a staircase and entrance portico leads into

784-585: A greater Rococo tendency, such as asymmetries in the details of the motifs. Another similar example from this period is the decorated façade and sebil of the Recai Mehmet Efendi School (1775), near the Şehzade Mosque. This trend towards even greater ornateness, including more three-dimensional renditions of motifs like acanthus leaves and oyster shells, and the similarities to the Rococo style came to characterize Ottoman Baroque architecture in

896-599: A group, as was the case at Topkapı Palace, the Edirne Palace , the Kavak or Üsküdar Palace (at Salacak ), the Tersane Palace, and others. However, at some time during the 18th century there was a transition to palaces consisting of a single block or a single large building. This trend may have been popularized by the sisters of Selim III in the late 18th century. One of his sisters, Hadice Sultan (d. 1822), had

1008-576: A mektep (primary school), but from the street its most visible elements are the tomb and sebil. This urban configuration is similar to the earlier Hamidiye Complex. The façade of the complex, with its vibrantly Baroque sebil and tomb, is one of the most notable exterior façade designs in Ottoman Baroque architecture. Doğan Kuban compares its ornamentation to the French Rocaille style in particular. He notes that similar ornamentation in

1120-537: A new Western-inspired building type in Ottoman architecture: the barracks . The first barracks of this new tradition, the Kalyoncu Barracks in Kasımpaşa , was built to house sailors and included an accompanying mosque. It was commissioned by admiral Cezayirli Hasan Pasha in 1783–1784, under Abdülhamid I. However, it was under Selim III that monumental barracks proliferated and became highly visible elements of

1232-581: A new style of capitals that distinguishes the Ottoman Baroque: a vase or inverse bell shape, either plain or decorated, usually with small but prominent volutes at its corners, similar to Ionic capitals. Like earlier imperial foundations, the mosque formed the center of a complex consisting of several buildings including a madrasa , an imaret, a library, a royal tomb, a sebil and fountain, and an imperial pavilion ( Hünkâr Kasır ), most of which are equally Baroque. The sebil and fountain that flank

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1344-421: A rectangular platform or parterre with Baroque marble fountains at its corners. This platform was formerly where Ottoman sultans were girded with the Sword of Osman upon their accession to the throne. A portico of arches and domes runs around three sides of the courtyard, preceding the entrance to the mosque. al-Ansari's mausoleum is attached on the northwest side of the mosque's inner courtyard. The entrance

1456-494: A small mosque ( mescit ). Its main components were instead a madrasa and an imaret, along with the tomb itself and other minor structures. The design of the complex was notable for being completely integrated into the pre-existing urban fabric instead of being set apart in its own enclosure. The sultan's tomb is in Baroque style and one of its notable details is a large Qur'anic inscription band in thuluth script that curves around

1568-512: A sultan's ascension to the throne. The practice started when Osman I was girt with the sword of Islam by his mentor and father-in-law Sheikh Edebali . The girding was held at the tomb complex at Eyüp , on the Golden Horn waterway in the capital Constantinople . Even though the journey from Topkapı Palace (where the sultan resided) to the Golden Horn was short, the sultan would board a boat amid much pomp to go there. The Eyüp tomb complex

1680-629: A sultan, over two and a half centuries after the conquest of the city. It consists of a madrasa and a sabil-kuttab (a combination of sebil and primary school). The style and decoration of the complex is a fusion of Ottoman and local Cairene ( Mamluk ) styles, but it does not include any elements of the new Baroque style Mahmud I was employing in Istanbul. A slightly later imperial foundation, the Sabil-kuttab of Mustafa III in Cairo (located across from

1792-519: A sword was highly symbolic. It showed that the office with which he was invested was first and foremost that of a warrior. The Sword of Osman was girded on to the new sultan by the Sharif of Konya , a Mevlevi dervish , who was summoned to Constantinople for that purpose. Such a privilege was reserved to the men of this Sufi order from the time Osman I had established his residence in Sögüt in 1299, before

1904-571: A tall single-dome design that reflects the trends of 18th-century mosques in Istanbul. In Shumen , present-day Bulgaria , the Sherif Halil Pasha Mosque Complex (or Tombul Mosque), built in 1744–1745, is one of the few notable constructions in the Balkan region during this period. In addition to the mosque, the complex includes a madrasa, a library, and a primary school. Its style, however, resembles more strongly that of

2016-475: A work that mixes archaic and Baroque elements. Other important Baroque monuments were also built in the Eyüp neighbourhood around this time by Selim III's family. Before the reconstruction of the mosque, Mihrişah Sultan (Selim III's mother), built a charitable complex nearby in a vibrant Baroque style. Its construction took place between 1792 and 1796. It consists of a large imaret (still functioning today) and

2128-466: Is a mosque that incorporates the visual style of the Nuruosmaniye in a more restrained way and integrates it more closely with traditional Ottoman architecture. The Laleli Mosque is surrounded by the usual annexes: imperial pavilion, sebil, madrasa, imaret and the tomb of Mustafa III. More unique, though, is the large artificial platform on which the mosque stands. The substructure of this platform

2240-529: Is also comparable to the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne . The details and decoration of the mosque are firmly Baroque. For example, the curving pediments above the exterior arches have concave flourishes at their edges, while the windows, doorways, and arches of the mosque have mixtilinear (i.e. combination of different curves) or round profiles instead of pointed arch profiles. The central doorway of

2352-455: Is believed to have died here during the first Arab siege of Constantinople in the 670s. A mosque complex ( külliye ) was constructed on the site in 1458 by the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II only five years after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Mehmed II was reportedly motivated to build the mosque after his teacher, Akşemseddin , had a dream about building a commemorative mosque at

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2464-610: Is covered with panels of Iznik tiles dating from different periods and brought together during the reconstruction of the mosque in 1798–1799. The walls of the mausoleum's vestibule are also covered in Iznik tiles, many of them showing the characteristic sealing-wax red glaze known as Armenian bole and dating from around 1580, a highpoint for İznik tile design. Similar tiles in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London may once have covered

2576-546: Is notable for being oriented towards the water: while some Istanbul mosques had been built along the waterside before, the Beylerbeyi Mosque is the first one which was clearly designed to present its main façade towards the shoreline. The mosque was intended to serve as the sultan's prayer space when he was residing in one of his palaces along the Bosphorus. The prayer hall is a traditional single-domed space, but

2688-579: Is one of the finest Ottoman Baroque tombs and one of the best examples of late Baroque monuments. Some details recall the earlier Şah Sultan Tomb, such as the elliptical windows above. It also incorporates some influence from the Empire style , which was being introduced in Istanbul around this time. The tomb was designed by the Ottoman Armenian architect Krikor Balian . Some of the Baroque mosques from this period feature elliptical domes, such as

2800-473: Is one of the finest examples of this style in the palace. It consists of two rooms with flat ceilings decorated with Baroque-style gold leaf , a marble Baroque fireplace with European tiles, and Western-style landscape paintings decorating the walls. As in the preceding centuries, other palaces were built around Istanbul by the sultan and his family. Previously, the traditional Ottoman palace configuration consisted of different buildings or pavilions arranged in

2912-408: Is preceded by a projecting portico that extends to the edge of the courtyard's garden platform. Inside is a vestibule chamber which precedes the tomb chamber itself, which has a traditional octagonal shape covered by a dome. The sarcophagus is enclosed by a Baroque-style silver screen, additionally adorned with framed calligraphy, lamps, and other ornaments. The wall of the mausoleum facing the portico

3024-533: Is relatively tall for its proportions, enhancing its sense of height. This trend towards height was pursued in later mosques such as the Nusretiye Mosque . The Ayazma Mosque differs from others mainly in the unique arrangement of its front façade, which consists of a five-arched portico reached by a wide semi-circular staircase. This arrangement is similar to another contemporary mosque built in Aydın in 1756,

3136-688: Is still faithful to the Classical style of Ottoman architecture popularised by Mimar Sinan in the 16th century. In particular it has been compared to Sinan's Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in the Azapkapı neighbourhood, as it follows the same "octagonal baldaquin" design with a central dome surrounded by semi-domes. Much of its decoration, however, is in the contemporary Ottoman Baroque style , with engaged columns, carved foliate and shell shapes, and Ottoman calligraphic inscriptions. The columns have simple, Ionic -like capitals . The undulating decoration of

3248-476: Is the Khan As'ad Pasha (1753), whose main hall consists of nine domes supported by four central pillars. In Cairo , several rare monuments sponsored by Ottoman sultans were built in the mid-18th century, demonstrating a certain level of renewed imperial interest in this provincial capital. The Takiyya Mahmudiyya , sponsored by Mahmud I and dated to 1750, was the first Ottoman complex in Cairo to be founded by

3360-468: The külliye which most clearly demonstrates the transition between the old and new styles was the Beşir Ağa Mosque and its sebil, built in 1745 near the western perimeter of Topkapı Palace . Ünver Rüstem argues that the rapidity with which the style appeared across Istanbul after 1740 and the fact that the first Baroque structures were all commissioned by high-ranking elites should be interpreted as

3472-716: The First National Architecture movement which, alongside Art Nouveau , dominated architecture in the last years of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. Scholarly attitudes towards the Ottoman Baroque and towards later Ottoman architecture have varied over time and from one author to another. Many scholars have traditionally framed post-classical Ottoman architecture as a symbol of Ottoman decline and cultural insecurity vis-à-vis Europe, lacking merit in comparison with earlier Ottoman architecture. This attitude has been progressively revised since

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3584-624: The Mosque of Sayyida Zeinab ) in 1758–1760, still demonstrates local Cairene influences but this time it incorporates some new Baroque details. (Another sabil-kuttab founded by Mustafa III near the Mosque of Sayyida Nafisa in 1756–1757 has not been preserved. ) Other 18th-century buildings sponsored by local elites were generally built in an Ottoman-Mamluk hybrid style, such as the Sabil-kuttab of Abd ar-Rahman Katkhuda (1744). While Mamluk-era configurations remained predominant, Ottoman decoration

3696-714: The Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in the Azapkapı neighbourhood, but much of its decoration is in the contemporary Baroque style. Only the minarets, dating from the reign of Ahmet III, remain from the previous mosque. In 1804 Selim III also rebuilt the Emir Sultan Mosque in Bursa after it was damaged by an earthquake (though the new mosque was in turn damaged during the 1855 earthquake ). The previous Emir Sultan Mosque's foundations and some of its materials were reused in construction, resulting in

3808-589: The Tulip Period . In more specific terms, however, the period after the 17th century is marked by several different styles. The Ottoman or Turkish "Baroque" style emerged in its full expression during the 1740s and rapidly replaced the style of the Tulip Period . This shift signaled the final end to the previous classical style which had dominated Ottoman architecture in the 16th and 17th centuries. The political and cultural conditions which led to

3920-526: The 1740s during the reign of Mahmud I (1730–1754) and its most important early monument was the Nuruosmaniye Mosque , completed in 1755. Later in the 18th century, new building types were also introduced based on European influences. The last fully Baroque monuments, such as the Nusretiye Mosque , were built by Mahmud II (r. 1808–1839) in the early 19th century, but during this period new European-influenced styles were introduced and supplanted

4032-505: The 19th century, but they were often employed alongside other styles. The Tanzimat reforms that began in 1839 under Abdülmecid I sought to modernize the Ottoman Empire with Western-style reforms. In the architectural realm this period resulted in the dominance of European architects and Ottoman architects with European training. Among these, the Balians , an Ottoman Armenian family, succeeded in dominating imperial architecture for much of

4144-521: The 19th century, under the de facto independent rule of Muhammad Ali and his successors, Ottoman Baroque and contemporary late Ottoman Westernizing decoration was conspicuously employed in new buildings, including the Mosque of Muhammad Ali (1830–1848) in the Citadel and several sabil-kuttabs throughout the city. Beyond Istanbul the greatest palaces were built by powerful local families, but they were often built in regional styles that did not follow

4256-597: The Baroque. From the 18th century onward European influences were introduced into Ottoman architecture as the Ottoman Empire itself became more open to outside influences. During this period, the most predominant architectural style in Western Europe was the Baroque . In an Ottoman context, the term “Baroque” is sometimes applied more widely to Ottoman art and architecture across the 18th century including

4368-595: The Cihanoğlu Mosque. The latter is also an example of Baroque elements appearing outside Istanbul in the mid century. One minor detail of the Ayazma Mosque that was recurrent in the 18th century is the small birdhouse carved in stone on the exterior. Such birdhouses were made in the preceding century but in the Baroque period they become more ornate and are commonly attached to the exteriors of both religious and civil buildings. Mustafa III's own imperial mosque

4480-514: The Harem, which served the sultan and the valide sultan (queen mother), were probably renovated by Mahmud I around 1744, providing them with their current Baroque decoration. The School of Princes was redecorated with some Baroque elements in 18th century, the most elaborate additions being the fireplaces in the School's classroom and in its private apartments. Osman III renovated the prayer room of

4592-854: The Kurşunlu Mosque in Gülşehir (1779) and the Çapanoğlu Mosque in Yozgat (1778, expanded in 1795). Another example during the reign of Selim III is the Izzet Pasha Mosque in Safranbolu (1796). In Athens, one small mosque survives from this period: the Dizdar Mustafa Mosque or Mosque of Tzistarakis from 1763–1764. On the island of Rhodes , the Sultan Mustafa Mosque, built in 1764 for Mustafa III, has

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4704-475: The Ottoman Baroque trace their origins in part to the Tulip Period, during the reign of Ahmed III , when the Ottoman ruling class opened itself to Western influence. After the Tulip Period, Ottoman architecture openly imitated European architecture, so that architectural and decorative trends in Europe were mirrored in the Ottoman Empire at the same time or after a short delay. Changes were especially evident in

4816-581: The Ottoman sultans and their family continued to build new rooms or remodel old ones throughout the 18th century, introducing Baroque and Rococo decoration in the process. In 1752 Mahmud I restored the Sofa Kiosk ( Sofa Köşkü ) in Rococo style. This kiosk is a garden pavilion in the Fourth Court that was first begun in the late 17th century by Mustafa Pasha and then either completed or restored by Ahmet III in 1704. The Imperial Council (Divan) Hall in

4928-563: The Ottomans in the 16th century. Their tombs stand close to the mosque, as do those of Adile Sultan and Mihrişah Valide Sultan , royal women who were buried in grand complexes along the Cülus Yolu (Accession Road). A little more out on a limb, overlooking the water is the tomb of Sultan Mehmed V which was designed by Mimar Kemaleddin Bey in 1918. Behind the mosque Eyüp Cemetery winds up

5040-528: The Second Court of the palace was redecorated in flamboyant Baroque style by Selim III in 1792 and by Mahmud II in 1819. Inside the Harem section, Abdulhamid I renovated the Imperial Hall ( Hünkâr Sofası ), adding among other things a Baroque wall fountain and Dutch blue-and-white tiles (although the decoration of the dome has since been restored to its late 16th-century state). The main baths of

5152-476: The Selimiye Mosque, the piers are more slender and are mostly integrated directly into the walls. The mosque's courtyard is rectangular again, leaving the Nuruosmaniye's semi-elliptical courtyard as an experiment that was not repeated. The decoration is also firmly Baroque, with Ionic-like capitals, round and mixtilinear arches, a mihrab similar to the Nuruosmaniye's, and other Baroque motifs. The result

5264-553: The Sultan Ahmed I Mosque and the New Mosque. This probably indicates that contemporary builders saw the new Baroque style as inappropriate for the appearance of an ancient mosque embedded in the mythology of the city's 1453 conquest. At the same time, it showed that Sinan's architecture was associated with the Ottoman golden age and thus appeared as an appropriate model to imitate, despite the anachronism. By contrast, however,

5376-584: The apartments of Abdülhamid I and Selim III in the Topkapı Palace (added around the same period) may have been executed by the same craftsmen. Further south from Mihrişah Sultan's complex, near the 16th-century Zal Mahmud Pasha Mosque , the Tomb of Şah Sultan (Selim III's sister) is another important example of a Baroque tomb from this era, built in 1800–1801. One notable detail is its use of elliptical windows above its ground-floor windows. Selim III established

5488-469: The area near Osman III's kiosk Abdulhamid I and Selim III later added their own lavishly-decorated Rococo apartments. The decoration here includes Baroque-style gilt reliefs and marble fountains and fireplaces. Unlike some of the earlier domed apartments of the classical Ottoman period, they have flat wooden ceilings. A nearby upstairs apartment was also commissioned by Selim III in 1790 for his mother Mihrişah Sultan . Designed by Antoine Ignace Melling , it

5600-400: The burial place of al-Ayyub al-Ansari. When al-Ansari's tomb was found in 1458 the mosque was built next to it. In the early 18th century, Sultan Ahmed III rebuilt the two minarets of the mosque in their current form. By the end of the 18th century the mosque was in a ruinous state, perhaps as a result of earthquake damage, and in 1798 sultan Selim III ordered the whole structure other than

5712-463: The capital was moved to Bursa and later to Constantinople. Until the late 19th century, non-Muslims were banned from entering the Eyüp Mosque and witnessing the girding ceremony. The first to depart from that tradition was Mehmed V , whose girding ceremony was open to people of different faiths. Held on 10 May 1909, it was attended by representatives of all the religious communities present in

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5824-597: The century. They were joined by European architects such as the Fossati brothers , William James Smith, and Alexandre Vallaury . After the early 19th century Ottoman architecture was characterized by an eclectic architecture which mixed or borrowed from multiple styles. The Balians, for example, commonly combined Neoclassical or Beaux-arts architecture with highly eclectic decoration. Later trends involving Orientalist designs and Ottoman revivalism , initially encouraged by European architects like Vallaury, eventually led to

5936-579: The ceremony to be filmed. Since he was the last reigning Ottoman sultan, that is the only such ceremony that was ever put on film. The Sword of Osman is held in the Imperial Treasury section of Topkapı Palace. This article relating to swords is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Ottoman Empire –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ottoman Baroque architecture Ottoman Baroque architecture , also known as Turkish Baroque ,

6048-427: The construction of imperial pavilions as part of imperial mosques aligned itself with the cultural shift taking place in the 18th century around the sultan's official displays of power, and such imperial pavilions became ever more prominent in later imperial mosques. Mustafa III (r. 1757–1774), successor of Osman II and a son of Ahmed III, engaged in many building activities during his long reign. His first foundation

6160-399: The courtyard is topped by an unusual radiating sun motif carved in stone while the other doorways have pyramidal semi-vaults which, instead of the traditional muqarnas , are carved with many rows of acanthus -like friezes and other motifs – a composition that is neither Ottoman nor European in style. Even more unusual is the form of the mosque's courtyard, which is semielliptical instead of

6272-589: The earlier Damat Ibrahim Pasha Mosque in Nevşehir and its decoration recalls that of the Tulip Period. In more distant provinces in the Middle East and North Africa, local styles continued to be employed with greater independence, as they already were in the 16th and 17th centuries. In Syria , internecine conflicts caused great damage to the country during the 18th century, but the cities of Damascus and Aleppo remained prosperous commercial centers. Damascus,

6384-642: The eastern corner of the mosque is an L-shaped structured which consists of a covered ramp leading to an imperial pavilion. This kind of feature first appeared in the 17th century with the Sultan Ahmed I Mosque and was further exemplified by the Hünkâr Kasrı of the New Mosque in Eminönü . At the Nuruosmaniye, however, this pavilion is more detailed, more prominent, and more deliberately integrated into

6496-641: The empire, notably the Sheikh ul-Islam , the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople , the chief rabbi (Hakham Bashi) and a representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church . The fact that non-Muslims were allowed to see the ceremony enabled The New York Times to write an extremely detailed account of it. Mehmed V's brother and successor, Mehmed VI , whose girding ceremony was held on 4 July 1918, went even further by allowing

6608-486: The first time since the Sultan Ahmed I Mosque (early 17th century) that an Ottoman sultan built his own imperial mosque complex in Istanbul, thus inaugurating the return of this tradition. Historical sources attest that the architect in charge was a Christian master carpenter named Simeon or Simon. Simeon's chief assistant was a Christian man named Kozma and the majority of the stonemasons under him were Christians as well. Both Simeon and Kozma were given robes of honour by

6720-461: The gateways, mihrab and minbar are among the finest examples of this style from the Ottoman Baroque period. The building is primarily built in white stone, with some columns in white marble bound with brass , and some of the decoration gilded . The mosque has two minarets built in an earlier style. From the outside, a large outer courtyard of irregular shape leads to an inner rectangular courtyard. An elevated, enclosed corridor running along

6832-402: The grand vizier at the mosque's opening ceremony. Ünver Rüstem notes this may have been the first time Christian architects were officially honoured in this fashion at the inauguration of a mosque and that it reflected the growing status of Christian craftsmen during this era. The mosque consists of a square prayer hall surmounted by a large single dome with large pendentives. The dome is one of

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6944-408: The greater use of vaults and stairways, the use of wood instead of stone for elements like stairs, and in the decoration of the dome where the traditional circular Arabic inscription is replaced with a vegetal foliate motif. Despite its relatively small size the mosque's tall proportions creates a sense of height, which may the culmination of a trend that began with the Ayazma Mosque. From the outside,

7056-414: The hill to a lookout point overlooking the Golden Horn. It is crammed full of the gravestones of those who wanted to be buried close to the mosque. In modern times the holiness of the mosque means that boys who are about to undergo circumcision ( sünnet ) are sometimes brought here in their special finery. Mass circumcision sessions are organised here for boys from poorer homes (these resumed in 2022 after

7168-532: The interior. Across the street from Abdülhamid's tomb was an ornate sebil, but this was relocated near the Zeynep Sultan Mosque after 1911 when the complex was partly demolished to widen the street. This sebil is considered one of the finest examples of Baroque sebils. Its surface shows a greater degree of three-dimensional sculpting, being profusely carved with scrolls, shells, foliage, and other Baroque moldings. The decoration also demonstrates

7280-600: The largest in Istanbul, measuring 25.75 meters in diameter. From the outside, the dome sits above four huge arches (one for each side of the square) pierced with many windows that provide light to the interior. The closest precedent to this design in Classical Ottoman architecture is the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in the Edirnekapi neighbourhood. The projecting apse which contains the mihrab

7392-420: The last quarter of the 18th century. Selim III (r. 1789–1807) was responsible for rebuilding the Eyüp Sultan Mosque between 1798 and 1800. This mosque is located next to the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari , an important Islamic religious site in the area of Istanbul originally built by Mehmed II. The new mosque made use of the Classical Ottoman tradition by following the octagonal baldaquin design, similar to

7504-421: The later twentieth century. In his 1971 book on the history of Ottoman architecture, Godfrey Goodwin argues that the Ottoman Baroque should be viewed as a more "creative" period, despite many Turkish scholars having previously given it little credit. Turkish scholar Doğan Kuban has argued that even though it was directly influenced by the European Baroque, the Ottoman Baroque reflects a local interpretation of

7616-412: The main architect may have been Foti Kalfa, a Christian master carpenter. The complex included a mosque and its usual dependencies like a mektep and a hammam. More innovatively, it also included an array of factories, shops, and modern facilities such as a printing house, all arranged to form the nucleus of a new neighbourhood with a regular grid of streets. The mosque is built in high-quality stone and in

7728-414: The minarets to be pulled down and rebuilt. This work was completed in 1800. The eastern minaret was rebuilt in the original style by Mahmud II in 1822. As a companion of Muhammad, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari is greatly venerated by Muslims and the site of his türbe (tomb) is of particular importance. The mausoleum is positioned on the north side of a courtyard opposite the main entrance to the prayer hall of

7840-435: The mosque at the same time, replacing the barracks of Selim III which had been destroyed by the Janissaries, thus continuing Tophane's association with the age of reforms initiated by Selim III. The mosque is the first major imperial work by Krikor Balian. It is sometimes described as belonging to the Empire style, but is considered by Godfrey Goodwin and Doğan Kuban as one of the last Baroque mosques. Ünver Rüstem describes

7952-430: The mosque's most innovative and influential feature is the wide two-story pavilion structure that occupies its front façade, replacing the traditional courtyard or entrance portico. This is an evolution of the imperial pavilions which were attached to the side or back of earlier mosques, taking on a more residential function as a royal apartment and forming an integrated part of the mosque's appearance. This new configuration

8064-537: The mosque's most notable details are the extreme slenderness of its minarets and its two Rococo sebils which have flamboyantly undulating surfaces. It was only in the 1750s that the Ottoman Baroque style began to appear outside Istanbul. The Cihanoğlu Mosque in Aydın (1756), mentioned above, is among the early examples. During the reign of Abdülhamid I two notable provincial mosques were built in Baroque style in Anatolia:

8176-474: The mosque, allowing for a more monumental entrance to be retained. The prayer hall is once again a single-domed space but the side galleries that are usually present inside earlier mosques have in this case been moved completely outside the prayer hall, along the building's exterior. The building is also notable for high-quality stone decoration, with the exterior marked by stone moldings along its many edges and sculpted keystones for its arches. In Topkapı Palace

8288-578: The mosque. The mosque is also important for Muslims because it holds relics believed to have belonged Muhammad. Because of the extreme holiness attached to the mosque, many important Ottoman officials and royal family members chose to be buried nearby. They include Sokollu Mehmet Paşa , an Ottoman vizier, or chief minister, who served under sultans Süleyman the Magnificent and Selim II . Also buried here are Siyavuş Paşa , another 16th-century grand vizier, and Lala Mustafa Paşa who conquered Cyprus for

8400-435: The mosque. This gallery arrangement leaves the central space unencumbered while still dissimulating the supporting piers of the dome. The most exuberant Baroque carvings, such as flutes and scroll forms, are found on the minbar . The hood of the mihrab, like the semi-vaults above the exterior doorways, is carved with a mix of eclectic friezes that replace the traditional muqarnas. The mosque's stone decoration also establishes

8512-552: The nearby tomb of Mehmed II, which was rebuilt at the same time, is in a fully Baroque style. During the reign of Abdulhamid I (r. 1774–1789) more foreign architects and artists arrived in Istanbul and the Baroque style was further consolidated. Abdulhamid I built the Beylerbeyi Mosque (1777–1778) and Emirgan Mosque (1781–82), both located in suburbs of Istanbul on the shores of the Bosphorus, though both were modified by Mahmud II (r. 1808–1839). The Beylerbeyi Mosque

8624-778: The new Baroque style are several fountains and sebils built by elite patrons in Istanbul in 1741–1742: the fountain of Nisançı Ahmed Pasha added to the southwest wall of the Fatih Mosque cemetery, the Hacı Mehmet Emin Ağa Sebil near Dolmabahçe , and the Sa'deddin Efendi Sebil at the Karaca Ahmet Cemetery in Üsküdar . The Baroque-style Cağaloğlu Hamam in Istanbul was also built in the same year and

8736-595: The new Ottoman Baroque style is the Nuruosmaniye Mosque complex, begun by Mahmud I in October 1748 and completed by his successor, Osman III (to whom it is dedicated), in December 1755. Kuban describes it as the "most important monumental construction after the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne", marking the integration of European culture into Ottoman architecture and the rejection of the Classical Ottoman style. It also marked

8848-418: The new style is the imaret that Mahmud I added in the northeastern corner of Hagia Sophia's precinct in 1743. The imaret has an extravagantly Baroque gate which is carved with high-relief vegetal scrolls and a spiralling "swan-neck" pediment , flanked by marble columns with Corinthian -like capitals , and surmounted by wide eaves. Godfrey Goodwin , a scholar of Ottoman architectural history, suggests that

8960-515: The ornamentation and details of new buildings rather than in their overall forms, though new building types were eventually introduced from European influences as well. The term "Turkish Rococo", or simply "Rococo", is also used to describe the Ottoman Baroque, or parts of it, due to the similarities and influences from the French Rococo style in particular, but this terminology varies from author to author. The first structures to exhibit

9072-542: The present day. Among the rare surviving examples, Baroque decoration from this period can still be seen in the Aynalıkavak Pavilion (mentioned above), which was restored by Selim III and Mahmud II. Beyond Istanbul some large palaces were built by powerful local families in different regional styles. The Tomb of Nakşidil Sultan (mother of Mahmud II ), built in 1818 near the Fatih Mosque complex in Istanbul,

9184-525: The provincial capital, benefitted from the long and relatively capable governance of the 'Azm family . New palaces, caravanserais, hammams, and madrasas were built. In contrast with earlier caravanserais, which were centered around the traditional open courtyard, the multiple new caravanserais built in Damascus during this century embraced the Ottoman predilection for domes and featured domed central spaces. The most spectacular and admired building of this kind

9296-401: The rest of the complex. It was used as a private lounge or reception area ( selamlık ) for the sultan when visiting the mosque and gave him direct access to the sultan's loge inside the mosque. Because such imperial pavilions were closer to the public eye than the imperial palace, they played a role in enhancing the sultan's public presence and in staging some public ceremonies. Accordingly,

9408-542: The small single-domed Küçük Efendi (or Fevziye) Mosque in Istanbul (1825) and the multi-domed Kapı Mosque in Konya (1812). The Nusretiye Mosque , Mahmud II's imperial mosque, was built between 1822 and 1826 at Tophane. Its name commemorates the "victory" which Mahmud II won by destroying the Janissaries in 1826, the year of the mosque's completion. Mahmud II also built a new artillery barracks and parade ground near

9520-410: The south side of the outer courtyard was originally the sultan's private entrance to the mosque and to his loge (private screened balcony) inside the prayer hall. The şadırvan ( ablutions fountain) is located in this courtyard. The inner courtyard grants access to the mosque on one side and to the shrine of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari on the other. An old plane tree stands in the middle of this courtyard on

9632-438: The style as moving away from the Baroque and towards an Ottoman interpretation of Neoclassicism . Goodwin also describes it as the last in a line of imperial mosques that started with the Nuruosmaniye. The mosque follows the model of Selim III's imperial mosque in Üsküdar, as seen in some of its details and in the portico and double-winged imperial pavilion fronting the mosque. The mosque was innovative in other details such as

9744-406: The style that became its own distinctive indigenous style. More recent scholars like Tulay Artan and Shirine Hamadeh have argued for a more positive evaluation of the style and for a lesser emphasis on the role of Western influence. In a 2019 book, Ünver Rüstem argues that 18th-century developments in Ottoman culture and architecture should be contextualized within the attitudes of Ottoman elites at

9856-549: The time may be also evident in Mustafa III's reconstruction of the Fatih Mosque after the 1766 earthquake that partially destroyed it. The new Fatih Mosque was completed in 1771 and it neither reproduced the appearance of the original 15th-century building nor followed the contemporary Baroque style. It was instead built in a Classical Ottoman style modelled on the 16th-century Şehzade Mosque built by Sinan – whose design had in turn been repeated in major 17th-century mosques like

9968-463: The time, who saw their empire as an integral part of Europe and adapted ideas from the West insofar as they were deemed useful, and that they were part of early modern trends taking place on a more global scale. The Ottoman Baroque style was also very visible in the empire and it was historically influential in shaping Westerners' conceptions of what Ottoman architecture looked like, particularly during

10080-403: The traditional rectangular form. Inside, the mosque's prayer hall is flanked by symmetrical two-story galleries that extend outside the main perimeter of the hall. The corners of these galleries, on either side of the mihrab area, include space for the muezzins on one side and for the sultan's loge on the other, thus dispensing with the traditional müezzin mahfili platform in the middle of

10192-526: The trends of the Ottoman capital. The Azm Palace in Damascus, for example, was built around 1750 in a largely Damascene style. The Azm family also had a major palace in Hama. In eastern Anatolia, near present-day Doğubayazıt , the Ishak Pasha Palace is an exceptional and flamboyant piece of architecture that mixes various local traditions including Seljuk Turkish, Armenian , and Georgian . It

10304-608: The urban landscape. Most of these early barracks were wooden buildings that were later rebuilt in the 19th century. This new building type arose in conjunction with Selim III's reform attempts, the Nizam-I Cedid ("New Order"), which among other things created a new Western-style army . Selim III built a barracks building for his "New Artillery" regiment in Tophane, near the later site of the Nusretiye Mosque. This

10416-442: The use of coloured marble decoration inside the mosque, this feature may have been a deliberate callback to the city's ancient Byzantine monuments. This "Byzantinising" trend was not commonplace but did occur in other monuments during the Baroque period. For example, the Mosque of Zeyneb Sultan (Mustafa III's sister), built in 1769, exhibits an even stronger Byzantine appearance. According to Ünver Rüstem, this phenomenon may reflect

10528-467: The vicinity the mosque. One of the closest structures is the well-preserved imaret and tomb complex of Mihrişah Sultan (Selim III's mother), also in Baroque style. It was built several years before Selim III's reconstruction of the mosque and acts as another ancillary structure to al-Ansari's shrine. (See also: Ottoman architectural decoration ) Sword of Osman The Sword of Osman ( Ottoman Turkish : تقلیدِ سیف ; Turkish : Osman'ın Kılıcı )

10640-464: The walls of the since demolished entrance hall ( camekân ) to the baths. The British Museum also has a panel of three navy and turquoise Iznik tiles, dating from around 1550, that are similar to some of those decorating the outside wall of the shrine. In 2022 a man with a hammer damaged the tiles on either side of the dua penceresi (prayer window) in the courtyard of the mosque, claiming that devil's horns were incorporated into their design. The mosque

10752-463: The west side grants access between the kiosk and the palace. The terrace façade of the kiosk includes a wide undulating eave. The kiosk itself is made of wood and consists of several rooms, with the main room in the middle projecting out over the edge of the palace walls to provide wider views. Its interior is heavily decorated with Baroque and Rococo decoration, including gilded carvings and trompe-l'oeil paintings of architectural scenes. In

10864-409: The western gate of the complex have curved and flamboyant forms counterbalanced by the plain walls around them, which Goodwin calls the "epitome of the baroque" style for these features. The library in the northeastern corner is distinguished by undulating curves and a roughly elliptical interior. The tomb, which houses the remains of Şehsuvar Sultan , has ornate moldings and concave cornices. At

10976-402: The women's section in the Harem, providing it with a stone-carved Baroque mihrab. The Kiosk of Osman III, completed in 1754-55, is one of the most notable additions of this era. It was built over a masonry substructure that extends behind the Imperial Hall, with a marble terrace filling the space between them. The terrace includes flowerbeds and a central water basin, while a private passage on

11088-407: Was a period in Ottoman architecture in the 18th century and early 19th century which was influenced by European Baroque architecture . Preceded by the changes of the Tulip Period and Tulip Period architecture , the style marked a significant departure from the classical style of Ottoman architecture and introduced new decorative forms to mostly traditional Ottoman building types. It emerged in

11200-402: Was a trend for these type of buildings in this period. The Laleli Mosque is also notable for its apparent Byzantine influences. The walls of the mosque's exterior and the walls of its courtyard are constructed in alternating layers of white stone and red brick. This technique was used in early Ottoman constructions but it was largely absent in the later imperial mosques of Istanbul. Along with

11312-539: Was an important sword of state used during the enthronement ceremony ( Turkish : Kılıç alayı ) of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire , from the accession of Murad II onwards. This particular type of enthronement ceremony was the Ottoman variant of the Bay'ah . The sword was named after Osman I , founder of the Ottoman dynasty . The girding of the Sword of Osman was a vital ceremony and took place within two weeks of

11424-415: Was applied in highly visible ways in some local monuments, most notably in the use of Ottoman blue and white tiles, including re-used 16th-century Iznik tiles imported from Istanbul. The most influential innovation of Mahmud I's complex was the curved façade of its sabil-kuttab, a local interpretation of the curved sebil facades in Istanbul, which was repeated in subsequent sabil-kuttab designs in Cairo. In

11536-458: Was begun in the 17th century and generally completed by 1784. The later reign of Mahmud II also saw the introduction of the Empire style , a Neoclassical style which originated in France under Napoleon , into Ottoman architecture. This marked a trend towards increasingly direct imitation of Western styles, particularly from France. Ottoman Baroque motifs and forms continued to be used during

11648-408: Was built by Mehmed II in honour of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari , a companion of Muhammad who had died during the first Muslim Siege of Constantinople in the 7th century. The sword girding thus occurred on what was regarded as sacred grounds and linked the newly-enthroned sultan to his 13th-century ancestors and to Muhammad himself. The fact that the emblem by which a sultan was enthroned consisted of

11760-482: Was built in the center of Istanbul and is known as the Laleli Mosque . Its construction began in 1760 and finished in 1764. Its architect was Mehmed Tahir Agha. Due to the sultan's personal wishes, its form is based on that of the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, consisting of a main dome supported by eight piers and four corner semi-domes, thus differing significantly from the Nuruosmaniye's design. However, unlike

11872-477: Was burned down by revolting Janissaries in 1812. It was rebuilt in stone by Mahmud II between 1825 and 1828 and further expanded to its current form by Abdulmecid between 1842 and 1853. The construction of the Selimiye Barracks was soon accompanied by the construction of the nearby Selimiye Mosque complex between 1801 and 1805. Three men served as chief court architects during this period but

11984-599: Was destroyed by fire in 1823 and rebuilt by Mahmud II in 1824. Another barracks for artillerymen was built by Mihrişah Sultan in 1792 or 1793–1794 in Hasköy . It featured a mosque, the Humbarahane Mosque, at the center of it. The building has only partially survived to the present day. The largest barracks of the time, the Selimiye Barracks , was built in southern Üsküdar between 1800 and 1803, but

12096-473: Was once the centre of a larger külliye (mosque complex) including a medrese (theological school), imaret (soup kitchen), and hamam (public baths). The medrese was most likely demolished during the present mosque's reconstruction, but most of the hamam has been preserved and remains in use (although its original changing room has been replaced by a more recent wooden construction). A number of other Ottoman funerary and charitable buildings stand in

12208-516: Was originally used as a storehouse and is now occupied by a market. The complex also includes a caravanserai, the Çukurçeşme Han or Taş Han, which contributed to the mosque's revenues. Mustafa III also built another caravanserai, the Büyük Yeni Han , at around the same time (in 1764) in the city's central commercial district. It is Istanbul's second-largest caravanserai. Both caravanserais are centred around long rectangular courtyards, which

12320-619: Was repeated in the design of later imperial mosques. Abdülhamid built his tomb as part of a charitable complex, the Hamidiye Complex, constructed between 1775 and 1780 in the Eminönü neighbourhood. The chief court architect at the time was still Mehmed Tahir Agha (as it was under Mustafa III), but his role in the design of the Hamidiye complex is not confirmed. The complex lacks a monumental congregational mosque and includes only

12432-465: Was sponsored by Mahmud I , demonstrating that even the sultan promoted the style. The revenues of this hammam were earmarked for the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) Mosque, where Mahmud I built several new annexes and additions. These additions included a domed ablutions fountain in 1740–41 that is decorated with Baroque motifs but still maintains a traditional Ottoman form overall. More indicative of

12544-539: Was the Ayazma Mosque in Üsküdar in honour of his mother . Construction began in 1757–1758 and finished in 1760–1761. It is essentially a smaller version of the Nuruosmaniye Mosque, signalling the importance of the Nuruosmaniye as a new model to emulate. It is richly decorated with Baroque carved stonework, especially in the mihrab and minbar. While the mosque is smaller than the Nuruosmaniye, it

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