The
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (
Turkish:
Sultan Ahmet Camii) is a historic
mosque in
Istanbul. The mosque is popularly known as the
Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.
[2]
It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of
Ahmed I. Its
Külliye contains a tomb of the founder, a
madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is still popularly used as a mosque.
History[edit]
After the
Peace of Zsitvatorok and the unfavorable result of the war with Persia, Sultan Ahmet the First decided to build a big mosque in Istanbul to calm God. It would be the first imperial mosque for more than forty years. While his predecessors had paid for their mosques with their spoil of war, Ahmet the First had to remove the funds of the Treasury, because he had not gained remarkable victories. It caused the anger of oulémas, the Muslim jurists. The mosque must be built on the site of the palace of the Byzantine emperors, in front of the basilica
Ayasofya (at that time, the mosque the most worshipped in Istanbul) and the racecourse, a site of a big symbolic meaning. Big parts of the south shore of the mosque rest on the foundations, the vaults of the old Grand Palace.
[3]
Architecture[edit]
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has one main dome, six minarets, and eight secondary domes. The design is the culmination of two centuries of
Ottoman mosque development. It incorporates some Byzantine Christian elements of the neighboring
Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the
classical period. The architect,
Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa, synthesized the ideas of his master
Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour.
[4]
Interior[edit]
Interior view, featuring the prayer area and the main dome.
At its lower levels and at every pier, the interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, made at
Iznik (the ancient Nicaea) in more than fifty different tulip designs. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in design, while at gallery level their design becomes flamboyant with representations of flowers, fruit and cypresses. More than 20,000 tiles were made under the supervision of the Iznik master The price to be paid for each tile was fixed by the sultan's decree, while tile prices in general increased over time. As a result, the quality of the tiles used in the building decreased gradually.
[5]
The upper levels of the interior are dominated by blue paint. More than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light, today assisted by chandeliers. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders.
[6] The decorations include verses from the
Qur'an, many of them made by
Seyyid Kasim Gubari, regarded as the greatest calligrapher of his time. The floors are covered with carpets, which are donated by the faithful and are regularly replaced as they wear out. The many spacious windows confer a spacious impression. The
casements at floor level are decorated with
opus sectile. Each exedra has five windows, some of which are blind. Each semi-dome has 14 windows and the central dome 28 (four of which are blind). The coloured glass for the windows was a gift of the Signoria of
Venice to the sultan. Most of these coloured windows have by now been replaced by modern versions with little or no artistic merit.
The most important element in the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is made of finely carved and sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double inscriptive panel above it. It is surrounded by many windows. The adjacent walls are sheathed in ceramic tiles. To the right of the mihrab is the richly decorated
minber, or pulpit, where the
imam stands when he is delivering his sermon at the time of noon prayer on Fridays or on holy days. The mosque has been designed so that even when it is at its most crowded, everyone in the mosque can see and hear the imam.
[5]
The royal kiosk is situated at the south-east corner. It comprises a platform, a
loggia and two small retiring rooms. It gives access to the royal loge in the south-east upper gallery of the mosque. These retiring rooms became the headquarters of the
Grand Vizier during the suppression of the rebellious
Janissary Corps in 1826. The royal loge (
hünkâr mahfil) is supported by ten marble columns. It has its own mihrab, which used to be decorated with a
jade rose and gilt
[7] and with one hundred Qurans on an inlaid and gilded
lecterns.
[8]
The many lamps inside the mosque were once covered with gold and
gems.
[9] Among the glass bowls one could find ostrich eggs and crystal balls.
[10] All these decorations have been removed or pillaged for museums.
Exterior[edit]
Courtyard of the mosque, at dusk.
The facade of the spacious forecourt was built in the same manner as the facade of the
Süleymaniye Mosque, except for the addition of the turrets on the corner domes. The court is about as large as the mosque itself and is surrounded by a continuous vaulted arcade (
revak). It has ablution facilities on both sides. The central hexagonal fountain is small relative to the courtyard. The monumental but narrow gateway to the courtyard stands out architecturally from the arcade. Its semi-dome has a fine
stalactite structure, crowned by a small ribbed dome on a tall
tholobate. Its historical elementary school (Sıbyan Mektebi) is used as "Mosque Information Center" which is adjacent to its outer wall on the side of Hagia Sophia. This is where they provide visitors with a free orientational presentation on the Blue Mosque and Islam in general.
[11]
A heavy iron chain hangs in the upper part of the court entrance on the western side. Only the sultan was allowed to enter the court of the mosque on horseback. The chain was put there, so that the sultan had to lower his head every time he entered the court to avoid being hit. This was a symbolic gesture, to ensure the humility of the ruler in the face of the divine.
[11]
Minarets[edit]
One of the minarets of the Blue Mosque.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is first one of the two mosques in Turkey that has six minarets.Second one is the Sabancı Mosque in Adana. When the number of minarets was revealed, the Sultan was criticized for being presumptuous, since this was the same minarets number as at the mosque of the Ka'aba in Mecca.He overcame this problem by ordering a seventh minaret to be built at the Mecca mosque.
[12]
Four minarets stand at the corners of the Blue Mosque. Each of these fluted, pencil-shaped minarets has three balconies (Called Şerefe) with stalactite corbels, while the two others at the end of the forecourt only have two balconies.Before the muezzin or prayer caller had to climb a narrow spiral staircase five times a day to announce the call to prayer.
[12]
Today, a public announce system is being used, and the call can be heard across the old part of the city, echoed by other mosques in the vicinity. Large crowds of both Turks and tourists gather at sunset in the park facing the mosque to hear the call to evening prayers, as the sun sets and the mosque is brilliantly illuminated by colored flood lights.
[12]
Pope Benedict XVI's visit and silent meditation[edit]
Pope Benedict XVI visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque on 30 November 2006 during his visit to Turkey. It marks as only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship. Having removed his shoes, the Pope paused for a full two minutes, eyes closed in silent meditation,
[13] standing side by side with Mustafa Çağrıcı, the Mufti of Istanbul, and Emrullah Hatipoğlu, the Imam of the Blue Mosque.
[14]
The pope “thanked divine Providence for this” and said, “May all believers identify themselves with the one God and bear witness to true brotherhood.” The pontiff noted that Turkey “will be a bridge of friendship and collaboration between East and West”, and he thanked the Turkish people “for the cordiality and sympathy” they showed him throughout his stay, saying, “he felt love and understood.”
[15]
Gallery[edit]
A short movie showing details of the Blue Mosque.
-
Seen from Sultanahmet Square, close to the Hagia Sophia.
Arcaded forecourt with one of the entrance gates.
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Gateway to the courtyard.
View of the inner courtyard.
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Main dome and its blue tiles.
Arcades in the inner courtyard.
Two tourists looking at the Blue Mosque from the Sultanahmet Park.
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See also[edit]
- Jump up^ Encyclopedia of architectural and engineering feats, Donald Langmead, Christine Garnaut, page 322, 2001
- Jump up^ "Blue Mosque". bluemosque.co. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Jump up^ "History". bluemosque.co. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Jump up^ "Architecture". bluemosque.co. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c "Interior". bluemosque.co. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Jump up^ "Sultan Ahmet Cami or Blue Mosque". MuslimHeritage.com. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
- Jump up^ Öz, T., "Sultan Ahmet Camii' in Vakiflar Dergisi, I, Ankara, 1938
- Jump up^ Evliya Efendi, Narrative of travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa in the seventeenth century; London, 1846
- Jump up^ Naima M., Annals of the Turkish Empire from 1591 to 1659 of the Christian Era; Frazer, London, 1832
- Jump up^ Tournefort, J.P., Marquis de, Relation d'un voyage du Levant, Amsterdam, 1718
- ^ Jump up to:a b "Exterior". bluemosque.co. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c "Minarets". bluemosque.co. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Jump up^ Foxnews: Pope Benedict XVI Visits Turkey's Famous Blue Mosque, 30 November 2006, retrieved 19 October 2011
- Jump up^ "Pope makes Turkish mosque visit". BBC News. 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
- Jump up^ "Pope: In mosque I prayed to the one God for all mankind". Asianews.it. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
References[edit]
- Goodwin G., "A History of Ottoman Architecture"; Thames & Hudson Ltd., London, reprinted 2003; ISBN 0-500-27429-0
- Turner, J. (ed.) - Grove Dictionary of Art - Oxford University Press, USA; New edition (January 2, 1996); ISBN 0-19-517068-7
- Sheila S. Blair, Jonathan M. Bloom - "The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800", Yale University Press, 1994; ISBN 0-300-05888-8
