Sultan ahmed or the blue mosque, suleymaniye mosque and. The blue mosque or the sultan ahmet mosque is considered by many to be the greatest feat of ottoman architecture. To celebrate, were revisiting some of the best contemporary mosque designs. The mosque is more properly called the sultan ahmed mosque, after the ottoman ruler who commissioned its construction between 1609 and 1616. The fame of the mosque is connected to its persian made blue and green tiles decorating its walls, which were made by. In mosques with only a single dome, it is invariably found surmounting the qibla wall, the holiest section of the mosque. With their powerful and dominant iconography, based upon tradition, mosque architecture is one of the most conservative building.
In other words, the sultan ahmed mosque is informed by the. Learn more about its unique architectural features as well as its. It was rather packed when you went in but we were able to take in the greatness of the architecture and history. The blue mosque is a temple located opposite the hagia. The sultanahmet mosque, known as the blue mosque, is the central element of the complex built by ahmed i r. The architecture and story about this famous mosque is inspiring. History and architecture blue mosque sultanahmet camii. A final element of islamic architecture is an attention to ornamental detail. It was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of ahmed i. The early to middle ottoman empire, from about 0 to 1600, ushered magnificent centrally planned. The royal kiosk is situated at the southeast corner comprises a platform, a loggia and two small retiring rooms. University of massachusetts amherst in partial fulfillment. It was built by the ottoman sultan ahmed i between 1609 1616 facing hagia sophia, in order to compete with it. The sultan ahmed mosque has five main domes, six point three minarets, and eight secondary domes.
The blue mosque is one of the most prominent landmarks of istanbul, especially when viewed from asian shore of the sea of marmara. Minarets take many different formsfrom the famous spiral minaret of samarra, to the tall, pencil minarets of ottoman turkey. While obviously best known for its blue interior tile, the blue mosque has other notable design features as well. The sultan ahmed mosque has one main dome, six minarets, and eight secondary domes. Blue mosque islamic art and architecture istanbul mosque travel turkey. Art history introduction to cultures and religions for the study of ap art history islam. Introduction the mosque is a rich building typology with a great. Unusually and controversially at the time, the blue mosque has six minarets. This page lists the principal mosque designs across the globe.
Architect mehmed aga, after he was admitted to the sedefkarl. The blue mosque called sultanahmet camii in turkish is an historical mosque in istanbul. Often reserved for interiors, this lavish approach to decoration includes jewellike tiles arranged into geometric mosaics, patterned brickwork and kaleidoscopic stones, and exquisite calligraphic adornments. Major religious architectural projects from around the world. The mosque gets its unofficial nickname from the fact that it has more than 20,000 blue iznik tiles adorning the interiors, displaying many stunning designs. An installation by the german firm kuehn malvezzi portrays its design for a religious building in berlin that would. It remains a functioning mosque, while also attracting large numbers of tourist visitors. Domes were very commonly used in the making of these mosques, or just islamic architecture in general. Keywordsmosque design program, mosque creative brief, mosque architecture, development of mosque typology, mosque function i. The distinctive and dazzling elements of islamic architecture. For example, religious buildings may be seen as reflections of spiritual and social concerns and skyscrapers as symbols of corporate power. It is perhaps istanbuls most picturesque building, complimented by the breathtaking architecture inside. From the hagia sophia, a walkway through the park directly in front of it, and across a small road, reaches the blue mosque.
This is the mosque that most visitors see first and want see most. Sultanahmet camii floor plan of sultan ahmed i complex. The building is not just mosque, it is also a social life complex. The blue mosque sultan ahmet mosque islamic landmarks. Passing small shops selling books and souvenirs, eight stone steps lead to an arched doorway, surrounded on the right by rows of stools and taps for muslims to wash themselves before entering. This short article is taken from the full article which is available here as a pdf file. The design is the culmination of two centuries of ottoman mosque development.
There are a total of six minarets which makes it unique. Pdf music, light and flowers aesthetics of 17c ottoman mosque. Pdf architecture and decoration in tabriz blue mosque. Sultan ahmet camii, also known as the blue mosque, is a historic mosque located in istanbul, turkey.
Its architect was sedefkar mehmet aga, a poet and inlayer. Commissioned by sultan ahmed 16061617, the mosque was built by mehmet agha who is said to have toured key ottoman monuments before he drew the plan of the blue mosque. Masji alnabawi, medina the second holiest mosque in islam, it marks the final resting place of the prophet muhammad a mosque masjid in arabic is a place where muslims can gather for prayer. A user friendly and informative pamphlet with illustrations and plans. The blue mosque sultan ahmet camii this is the currently selected item. The mosque was commissioned by suleiman the magnificent and designed by the imperial architect mimar sinan. This can be affirmed by the character of this mosque which came to embrace a number. In what proved to be a vital departure from the past, the mosque was built in the aftermath of ottoman failures in wars against the persians and the austrians.
The mosque, masjid in arabic, is the muslim gathering place for prayer. Mihrabs vary in size and color, but they are usually shaped like a doorway and decorated with mosaic tiles and calligraphy to make space stand out. I went to the blue mosque and it was a great experience. The sultan ahmed mosque is first one of the two mosques in turkey that has six minarets. The mosque was able to stand its ground and maintain its value and importance through the ages. This is where they provide visitors with a free orientational presentation on the blue mosque and islam in general. The mosque has been specially designed so that even when it is at its most crowded, everyone in the mosque can see and hear the imam. The blue mosque, one of istanbul, turkeys most famous landmarks, has a history marked with both innovation and controversy. The blue mosque sultan ahmet camii article khan academy. History of the mosque sultanahmet camii blue mosque is one of the most magnificent building in turkey. Muslim architecture under ottoman patronage muslim heritage. Sultan ahmed mosque blue mosque, istanbul overview.
The history of alazhar has closely tied to the history of cairo. The mosque is known as the blue mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design. These architectural allusions are also recognized and valued by the contemporary authors. In addition to general information about the sultan ahmed mosque blue mosque in istanbul, turkey, it shows the photos of all of the major monuments in and around the mosque. Al azhar mosque cairo al azhar mosque architecture. If youre behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains. It is very impressive with its beautiful domes and semi domes, nice courtyards and six minarets. The mihrab is an ornamental, semicircular indentation in the wall of the prayer room of a mosque that marks the direction of the qiblahthe direction facing mecca which muslims face during prayer. Architecture of the mosque blue mosque sultanahmet camii.
Pencil sketch blue mosque, hagia sophia sightseeing illustration. Sultan ahmed mosque, known as the blue mosque by many tourists because of its bluish interior decoration, is the most important mosque of istanbul standing next to the byzantine hippodrome in the old city center. Although considered one of the last classical ottoman structures, the incorporation of new architectural and decorative elements in the mosques building program. Bichitr, jahangir preferring a sufi shaikh to kings.
Read and learn for free about the following article. Al azhar mosque is simply the most perfect example of islamic architecture, designed originally to be a school, a house of knowledge, beauty, and wisdom. Primary sources date the foundation of the mosque to 16091018 ah and the completion to 16171026 ah. Architecture the sultan ahmed mosque has one main dome, six minarets, and eight secondary domes. Sultan ahmet cami or blue mosque muslim heritagemuslim. The blue mosque was made in istanbul during the early 1600s for an ottoman sultan. Sultanahmet camii is the national mosque of turkey, and is a historical mosque in istanbul, the largest city in turkey and the capital of the ottoman empire from 1453 to 1923. The blue mosque sultan ahmet camii if youre seeing this message, it means were having trouble loading external resources on our website.
Mosque architecture history and appreciation of art i. Ottoman style architectur mosque architecture high resolution pdf file the effective pictures we offer you about cultural architecture concept a. The empire was declining by then, but youd never know from the beautiful art and architecture of the period. In this poster we presented 6 diffrent mosque architecture from 6 diffrent parts of ancient islamic world. The mosque, for example, is completely symmetrical.
It might be a little confusing at first because from the front, there is not a hint of blue on the outside, but on the inside it is very clear why it is called the blue mosque. The omayad mosque, damascus, syria by earl baron in 2020. One of the most visible aspects of mosque architecture is the minaret, a tower adjacent or attached to a mosque, from which the call to prayer is announced. Blue mosque ahmediye istanbul architecture courses. An inscription specifies the foundation date as 1550 and the inauguration date as 1557. Introduction to the court carpets of the ottoman, safavid, and mughal empires. Muslim architecture under the ottoman patronage 261924. We arrived on a cruise ship to istanbul and to see this icon was amazing. Introduction to mosque architecture article khan academy.
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