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Historical Sites in Istanbul
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Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet) |
One
of the most beautiful and grand mosques in
Istanbul rises to the opposite of Hagia Sophia.
It was founded by Sultan Ahmet I and was
constructed by the architect Mehmet Aga. Because
of its blue-green tiles it is also known as the
Blue Mosque. In here religious holidays are
celebrated and from here the pilgrims began
their journey to Mecca.
The
Blue Mosque is the only mosque with six minarets
in the world. Like Süleymaniye Mosque the Blue
Mosque also has three sections : The outer
courtyard, the inner courtyard and a domed
central building. The inner courtyard has the
same dimensions as the prayer hall 64x72 meters
(192x216 feet). This courtyard is bordered by 26
granite columns forming a portico covered by 30
small domes. At the center of the courtyard
there is an octagonal fountain.
The
interior, which is nearly a square, presents a
centralized architectural plan. 260 windows
light up the interior of the mosque throughout
the day. The central dome is 43 meters (129
feet) high and has a diameter of 23.50 meters
(70.5 feet), four five meter (fifteen feet)
thick circular piers support the main dome. A
gallery (women's mezzanine) supported by columns
borders the prayer hall on three sides. On the
lower part of walls and in the galleries, the
interior is revetted with 21,000 tiles from
Iznik (ancient Nikaia) from the 17th century.
In
the outer courtyard of the mosque there are
buoldings such as the türbe (grave) of Sultan
Ahmet I, and the former medrese (Koran School). |
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Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) |
Hagia
Sophia means "Divine Wisdom". In the year 325,
Constantine erected the first basilica which was
devastated by a fire in 404. In 415 Theodosius
II reconstructed the church but it was burnt
down again in 532. Later Justinian was set out
to rebuild the church. The famous architects
Anthemios of Tralles and Isidoros of Miletus
were appointed as the master architects. The
basilica with a grand dome was completed after 5
years, and was dedicated by Justinian in 537.
After 20 years in 557 the dome has collapsed. In
563 Justinian dedicated the church again and
during the following years it was restored many
times. Right after the conquest of the Turks
minarets were added. In 1934 Atatürk had Hagia
Sophia converted into a museum.
Hagia
Sophia is a domed basilica and consists of a
hall with exonarthex and narthex, a central room
with three naves and a gallery, and a garden
surrounding the building. There are many
beautiful mosaics dating back to 9th century
A.D. The most magnificent mosaic is in the
gallery is the Deesis. It shows Christ flanked
by the Virgin and St. John the Baptist.
The
Hagia Sophia is the fourth largest basilica
following St. Peters in Rome, Duomo in Milan,
and St. Pauls in London. The immense dome, which
is built of light but strong bricks from Rhodes,
is 55.60 meters (166.8 feet) high and 31.50
meters (94.5 feet) in diameter. Each of the
pendentives of the main dome have a fresco of a
cherubim. In the basement there are four granite
columns from Ephesus.
The
Islamic-Turkish decorations in Hagia Sophia are
: The mihrab (prayer niche), the imperial lodge
(19th century), the eight meter (24 feet)
diameter round panels hanging in the central
room contain the holly names of Allah, the
Prophet Mohammed, the four Caliphs and
Mohammed's grandchildren |
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Suleymaniye Mosque |
This
mighty mosque was built during the reign of
Sultan Süleyman I (the Magnificent) by the
architect Sinan in the years 1550-1557. The
mosque stands on inner courtyard and a prayer
room with a dome. Apart from these three areas,
buildings, which once served as the academy, the
caravanserai, the hospital, the poor kitchen and
the baths, surround the outer courtyard.
To the
right of the outer courtyard you can see the
washing facilities. To the east of the courtyard
there is an interesting graveyard where one
finds tombs of Süleyman I and his Russian wife
Roxelana. The inner courtyard is surrounded by
24 ancient columns of porphyry, marble and
granite, which support 28 domes. All these
columns originate from the Hippodrome. In the
center of the courtyard stands a marble fountain
called " Þadýrvan ". The ground plan of the
mosque is a rectangle of 57 x 60 meters (171 x
180 feet). The central dome which covers the
entire interior is 53 meters ( 160 feet) high
and has a diameter of 27.5 meters (84 feet).
Four strong piers support this huge dome. On the
east wall there are wonderful stained-glass
windows. The mihrab (prayer niche), sultan's
lodge and mimber (pulpit) in Proconnesian
marble, are of great simplicity. The woodwork of
the preacher's chair and inlaid with ivory and
mother-of-pearl, and the window shutters are
noteworthy.
The
accoustics in the mosque are marvelous. It's
said that the architect Sinan put pipes in the
ground from mihrab to every corner of the
mosque, to enable the prayer and the preaching
of the imam (person who leads the prayer) to be
heard outside the mosque as well. |
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Topkapi Palace |
Topkapi Palace is the most extensive monument in
Turkish architecture. It occupies 700,000 square
meters and is a building complex of courts,
pavilions, mosques and fountains. A strong wall
surrounds the palace. Its name " Topkapý " is a
compound and means " Cannon Gate ". When Mehmet
II conquered Istanbul in 1453, he had his first
palace erected in the district where the
University of Istanbul and Süleymaniye Mosque
are now located. Since the palace was fairly
small, in 1459 he decided to build Topkapi
Palace. Only the harem was added later in the
16th century.
The
palace was the official residence of the sultans
until 1839 when Sultan Abdülmecit I moved to the
new palace " Dolmabahçe ". In the heyday of the
empire approximately 4,000 people lived in the
palace district. The Church of St. Irene where
the Second Ecumenical Coucil was held lies after
the Bab-u-Humayun Gate " the Imperial Gate ".
Palace Kitchen where over 300 years, 800 men
worked as kitchen staff. Today the kitchen
houses the display of the rich collection of
Chinese and Japanese porcelain. After those at
Beijing and Dresden it is said to be the third
richest collection in the world with 10,700
pieces. In the Treasury building of the palace
some of the most precious pieces of jewellery,
which belonged to the sultans, are displayed in
four rooms.
Some of the important ones are as follows : the
seventh largest diamond in the world, the
Spoonmaker's diamond with 86 carats; two giant
golden candlesticks, each weighing 48 kg (106
lbs.) and studded with diamonds; the gold
Turkish-Indian throne encrusted with pearl and
emeralds; the throne of Sultan Ahmet I made of
mother-of-pearl and horn; the gold "
Bayram-throne " weighing 250 kg. (550 lbs.); the
dagger from the film Topkapý, decorated with
brillants and emeralds; huge emeralds weighing
3,260 kg (7,172 lbs.) and 1,310 kg. (2,882
lbs.); orders medallions, Koran bindings and
other items. In other buildings there are
portraits of sultans, miniatures, collection of
clocks, and a collection of relics which
includes hairs from the beard of Prophet
Mohammed and his foot print among other items.
There is also a Harem building complex with over
400 rooms where ladies lived and cared for. This
was the result of many wars which left many
widows. As you can see Topkapý palace is a must
see place when you are visiting Istanbul. |
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