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ABOUT ISTANBUL THE BOSPHORUS
Kumkapı Fish Restaurants:
BLUE MOSQUE (SULTAN AHMET MOSQUE) UP
Sultan ahmet Mosque,which was constructed by the 14th Ottoman Sultan Ahmet
I,who ruled between the years of 1603-1617,is the greatest and most splendid
mosque of Istanbul.The constuction of mosque was started in 1609 by architect
Mehmet Agha,who was a student odf Architect Sinan and who undertook the
architectural works of the structure and the constrution was completed
in 1616.The premises consisted of a madrasah,a hospital,an Arasta Bazaar,a
school,a mausoleum,a caravansary and a public fountain together with the
mosque.The hospital and the caravansary were damaged in 19th century.
Sultan Ahmet Mosque is the last impressive structure of Ottoman religious
architecture.Although many other mosques were built after this one,none
of them reached to the dimension and to the elegance of the decorations
of Sultan Ahmet Mosque.Located in Sultanahmet Area.
HIPPODROME (The Sultan Ahmet Square) UP
Hippodrome was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 A.D.
The hippodrome was a stadium which served as a meeting place for the politicians,
for chariot races, wrestling, boxing, and other athletic activities that
took place. The arena was over 400 meters long and 120 meters wide, In
the fourth century the spectator capacity was increased to 100,000,
They organized the games in the hippodrome. Green took their seat to the
left, the Blues to the right of the emperor's box. Women were not admitted.
After the emperor had appeared in his box and greeted his people, the four
gates beneath his box opened and from each raced a chariot drawn by four
horses into the arena. The game lasted the whole day. The chariot track
was covered with white sand which was brought from Egypt. The winner was
awarded a prize which consisted of a crown made of flowers, some presents,
bonuses and money,
FATIH MOSQUE UP
This was the first Turkish mosque built after the conquest. The main building
was completed in seven years (1463-1470).
The architect Atic Sinan built the largest kulliye in Ottoman Art History.
The kulliye consisted of medreses, Kervansaray, hamam, a hospital, baths,
a kitchen for the poor, a library, and a Koranic school. The Kulliye has
been preserved in its original form. The original mosque was destroyed
in the great earthquake of 22 May 1766. Mustafa II undertook its reconstruction
and the present building was completed in 1771.
The mosque has a very large central dome 26 meters in diameter. The painted
decoration is fussy in detail and dull in color. The mihrab is from the
original building. In the graveyard, behind the mosque, are the tombs of
Sultan Mehmet and his wife Gulbahar.
SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE UP
The Suleymaniye is one of the finest and most magnificent imperial mosque
complexes in the city. Suleymaniye Mosque crowns the third hill of the
old city and adds a great deal to the unrivalled beauty of the city's skyline.
Suleyman was the tenth sultan of the Ottoman dynasty after thirty years
of rule, Suleyman The Magnificent decided to have a mosque built and Sinan,
the greatest of Ottoman architects, was commissioned.
Sınan was born ın Kayserı ın 1489. After his schooling in Istanbul he served
in the army, He was promoted to the position of the head architect by Suleymaniye
in 1539. Until his death in 1588 he built 334 edifices. among them were
132 mosques, 26 libraries, 17 hospitals, 33 palaces, 7 aqueducts and many
tombs and fountains.
The construction of the Suleymaniye began in 1550 and the mosque was completed
in 1557.The generous sultan gave the honor of opening the Suleymaniye to
his architect Sinan, the creator of the finest mosque in Istanbul.
The mosque stands in the center of the courtyard surrounded on three sides
by a wall with grilled windows. There are 24 marble and granite columns
which carry the weight of 28 domes. In the four corners of this courtyard
there are four minarets rising with ten balconies. The interior is approximately
58.5 by 57.5 meters.The dome with height of 47 meters and diameter of 26.5
meters, joined to the central dome in the east and the west where two semi
domes are supported by smaller domes. It can be said that Sinan rarely
succeeded with the interior of his west walls. In almost every case there
is a tendency to squeeze the portal.
Suleymaniye suprises visitors with its solid architecture and modest decorations
with the exception of magnificent stainglass windows, made by master Ibrahim.
Fine 16th century Iznik tiles decorate the mihrap area of the mosque.
The tombs of Suleyman the Magnificent and his wife Roxalena are in the
cemetery of the mosque. All these parts of the Suleymaniye mosque are surrounded
by a wall with a number of grated windows,
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