 The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is a mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is one of several mosques known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has become one of the greatest tourist attractions of Istanbul. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 2. ...
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The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ...
Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ...
“Ottoman†redirects here. ...
April 2 - Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople (Ä°stanbul). ...
Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (in Turkish Sultanahmet Camii, in English commonly called the Blue Mosque) is a mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1453 to 1923. ...
// Events April 4 – King of Spain signs an edit of expulsion of all moriscos from Spain April 9 – Spain recognizes Dutch independence May 23 - Official ratification of the Second Charter of Virginia. ...
Year 1616 (MDCXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...
Ahmed I (Ottoman Turkish: اØمد اول Aḥmed-i evvel) (April 18, 1590 – November 22, 1617) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death. ...
Ulugh Beg Madrasa, Samarkand, ca. ...
History After the humiliating Peace of Zsitvatorok and the unfavourable result of the wars with Persia, Sultan Ahmed I decided to build a large mosque in Istanbul to placate Allah. This would be the first imperial mosque in more than forty years. Whereas his predecessors had paid for their mosques with their war booty, Sultan Ahmed I had to withdraw the funds from the treasury, because he hadn't won any notable victories. This provoked the anger of the ulema, the Muslim legal scholars. The Peace of Zsitvatorok or Peace of Žitava (Hungarian and Slovak name, respectively), established on November 11, 1606, ended the Long War or Fifteen Years War between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy. ...
Ahmed I (Ottoman Turkish: اØمد اول Aḥmed-i evvel) (April 18, 1590 – November 22, 1617) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death. ...
Ulema (, transliteration: , singular: , transliteration: , scholar) (The people of Islamic Knowledge) refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. ...
The mosque was to be built on the site of the palace of the Byzantine emperors, facing the Hagia Sophia (at that time the most venerated mosque in Istanbul) and the hippodrome, a site of great symbolic significance. Large parts of the southern side of the mosque rest on the foundations, the vaults and the undercrofts of the Great Palace. Several palaces, already built on the same spot, had to be bought (at considerable price) and pulled down, especially the palace of Sokollu Mehmet Paşa, and large parts of the Sphendone (curved tribune with U-shaped structure of the hippodrome). One of floor mosaics excavated at the Great Palace and dated to the reign of Justinian I. It is presumed to represent a conquered Gothic king. ...
Hagia Sophia The patriarchal basilica Hagia Sophia (Greek: ; Holy Wisdom), now known as the Ayasofya Museum, was the culmination of early Christian architecture. ...
The Hippodrome today, with the Walled Obelisk in the foreground Obelisk of Thutmosis III The base of the Obelisk of Thutmosis III showing Theodosius the Great as he offers a laurel wreath to the victor from the Kathisma (emperors box) at the Hippodrome The Delphi Tripod known as the...
Mehmed-paša Sokolović (Turkish: Sokollu Mehmet Paşa) (born 1506, Sokolovići1 – died 1579, Istanbul) was an important 16th century Ottoman statesman of Bosnian origins. ...
Construction of the mosque started in August 1609 when the sultan himself came to break the first sod. It was his intention that this would become the first mosque of his empire. He appointed his royal architect Sedefhar Mehmet Ağa, a pupil and senior assitant of the famous architect Sinan as the architect in charge of the construction. The organization of the work was described in meticulous detail in eight volumes, now in the library of the Topkapı Palace. The opening ceremonies were held in 1617 (although the gate of the mosque records 1616) and the sultan was able to pray in the royal box (hünkâr mahfil). But the building wasn't finished yet in this last year of his reign, as the last accounts were signed by his successor Mustafa I. Sedefhar Mehmet AÄŸa (about 1540 - 1617) is recorded as the Ottoman architect of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the Blue Mosque) in Istanbul. ...
For other uses, see Sinan (disambiguation). ...
Entrance of Topkapı Palace, Bab-üs Selam The Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı in Turkish, literally the Cannongate Palace - named after a nearby gate), is located at the tip of a spit of land in the European part of Istanbul. ...
Mustafa I (1592 – January 20, 1639) (Arabic: مصطÙÙ‰ الأول) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1617 to 1618 and from 1622 to 1623. ...
Architecture
 View of the inner courtyard
 Central dome semi-dome with three exedrae; fine overview of the decorations in the mosque
 Interior view of the mosque; in the back, the mihrab; on the right side at the pier : the royal loge The design of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the culmination of two centuries of Ottoman mosque development. It is the last great mosque of the classical period. The architect has ably synthesized the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour, but the interior lacks his creative thinking. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 849 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) La Moschea Blu dIstanbul (Moschea di Sultanahmet, in turco: Sultanahmet Camii). ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 849 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) La Moschea Blu dIstanbul (Moschea di Sultanahmet, in turco: Sultanahmet Camii). ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 387 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1562 × 2417 pixel, file size: 631 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 387 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1562 × 2417 pixel, file size: 631 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 286 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1648 × 3455 pixel, file size: 1. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 286 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1648 × 3455 pixel, file size: 1. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 155 pixelsFull resolution (2500 × 483 pixel, file size: 274 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Interior Panorama of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque,Istanbul, Turkey Picture is taken by Babak Gholizadeh,June 2007 File historyClick on a date/time to view the...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 155 pixelsFull resolution (2500 × 483 pixel, file size: 274 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Interior Panorama of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque,Istanbul, Turkey Picture is taken by Babak Gholizadeh,June 2007 File historyClick on a date/time to view the...
Mihrab (in Persian مهراب or Ù…Øراب, in Arabic ألمØراب pl. ...
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...
, which is 23.5 meters in diameter and 43 meters high at its central point. The domes are supported by four massive piers that recall those of the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, another masterpiece of Sinan. It is obvious that Mehmet Paşa was overcautious by taking this inflated margin of safety, damaging the elegant proportions of the dome by their oppressive size. These "elephant feet" consist of multiple convex marble grooves at their base, while the upper half is painted, separated from the base by an inscriptive band with gilded words. Seen from the court, the profig the prayer hall. The southern wall (with the mihrab) lacks recesses, because the buttresses are completely situated at the exterior. On each of the three other walls, the two buttresses jut out into the interior, forming three recesses. Each middle recess consists of three exedrae under a semi-dome. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
“Adrianople†redirects here. ...
Mihrab (in Persian مهراب or Ù…Øراب, in Arabic ألمØراب pl. ...
The façade of the spacious forecourt was built in the same manner as the façade 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, rather monotonous, vaulted arcade (revak). It has ablution facilities on both sides. The central hexagonal fountain is rather small in contrast with the dimensions of 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 rather small ribbed dome on a tall drum. The Suleiman Mosque side view. ...
Water droplet coming out of the central canal of a stalactite A stalactite (Greek stalaktites, (Σταλακτίτης), from the word for drip and meaning that which drips) is a type of speleothem(secondary mineral) that hangs from the ceiling or wall of limestone caves. ...
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin A drum is a musical instrument in the percussion group that can be large, technically classified as a membranophone. ...
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 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 potter Kaşıcı Hasan. However, the price the builders were able to pay for tiles was fixed by the sultan's decree, while tile prices increased over time. As a result, the tiles used later in building were of lesser quality. Their colours have faded and changed (red turning into brown and green into blue, mottled whites) and the glazes have dulled. The tiles on the back balcony wall are recycled tiles from the harem in the Topkapı Palace, when it was damaged by fire in 1574. Iznik (which derives from the former Greek name, Nicaea) is a city in Turkey which is known primarily as the site of two major meetings (or Ecumenical councils) in the early history of the Christian church. ...
Entrance of Topkapı Palace, Bab-üs Selam The Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı in Turkish, literally the Cannongate Palace - named after a nearby gate), is located at the tip of a spit of land in the European part of Istanbul. ...
The upper levels of the interior are dominated by blue paint, but is of poor quality. More than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light, today assisted by chandeliers. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggsthey become worn 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. Casement may refer to: A type of window Casemate, a recessed area or chamber in the walls of a fortification Roger Casement Category: ...
Opus sectile refers to an art technique popularized in Rome where materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to make a picture or pattern. ...
For other uses, see Venice (disambiguation). ...
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. The adjacent walls are sheathed in ceramic tiles. But the many windows around it make it look less spectacular. 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. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
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, that used to be decorated with a jade rose and gilt [1] and one hundred Qurans on inlaid and gilded lecterns. [2] For the surname, see Loggia (surname). ...
A Vizier (وزير, sometimes also spelled Wazir) is an Arabic term for a high-ranking religious and political advisor, often to a king or sultan. ...
The Janissaries comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans household troops and bodyguard. ...
A selection of antique, hand-crafted Chinese jade (jadeite) buttons Unworked Jade Jade is used as an ornamental stone, the term jade is applied to two different rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals. ...
A lectern in the Abbey of SantAntimo Lectern is a reading desk in a church on which the Bible rests and from which the lessons are read during the church service. ...
The many lamps that light the interior was once covered with gold and gems [3]. Among the glass bowls one could find ostrich eggs and crystal balls [4]. All these decorations have been removed or pillaged for museums.
The great tablets on the walls are inscribed with the names of the caliphs and verses from the Quran, originally by the great 17th-century calligrapher Ametli Kasım Gubarım, but they have frequently been restored. For main article see: Caliphate The Caliph (pronounced khaleef in Arabic) is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, or global Islamic nation. ...
Contemporary Western Calligraphy. ...
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is one of the two mosques in Turkey that has six minarets, the other is in Adana. When the number of minarets was revealed, the Sultan was criticized for presumption, since this was, at the time, the same number as at the mosque of the Ka'aba in Mecca. He overcame this problem by paying for a seventh minaret at the Mecca mosque. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
Adana (Turkish: , Greek: ) (the ancient Antioch in Cilicia or Antioch on the Sarus) is the capital of Adana Province in Turkey. ...
The Kaaba or Kaaba, in the mosque known as Masjid al Haram in Mecca (Makkah), is the holiest place in Islam. ...
Four minarets stand at the corners of the mosque. Each of these fluted, pencil-shaped minarets has three balconies (ṣerefe) with stalactite corbels, while the two others at the end of the forecourt only have two balconies. Elaborately decorated classical-style stone corbels support balconies on a building in Indianapolis. ...
Until recently the muezzin or prayer-caller had to climb a narrow spiral staircase five times a day to announce the call to prayer. Today a public address system is 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 coloured floodlights.
Adhan (Arabic: أَذَان aḏān; also: aazan, athan) is the Islamic call to prayer, recited by the muezzin. ...
Media
See also Ahmed I (Ottoman Turkish: اØمد اول Aḥmed-i evvel) (April 18, 1590 – November 22, 1617) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death. ...
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
A list of notable mosques around the world: // Id Gah Mosque in Kabul Kabul Masjid Masjid Jumuah Herat Rawze-e-Sharif Al Fateh Mosque is Bahrains largest mosque Khamis Mosque believed to be the first mosque in Bahrain Baitul Mukarram Binat Bibi mosque High Court Mosque Sixty Pillar...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
The Suleiman Mosque side view. ...
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul, built in 1616 The Suleiman Mosque (Süleymaniye Camii) in Istanbul was built on the order of sultan Suleiman the Magnificent by the great Ottoman architect Sinan in 1557 The region comprising modern Turkey has a long and rich Islamic tradition stretching back to the...
Hagia Sophia The patriarchal basilica Hagia Sophia (Greek: ; Holy Wisdom), now known as the Ayasofya Museum, was the culmination of early Christian architecture. ...
Gallery A cascading succession of semi-domes and a dome as seen from the inner courtyard Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 429 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...
| Evening view of the Blue Mosque showing all six minarets Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 670 × 600 pixels Full resolution (2246 × 2011 pixel, file size: 545 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey, 2007 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed...
| The mosque at night, well lit by floodlights Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2304, 2679 KB) The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) in Istanbul at night. ...
| Interior of the mosque Download high resolution version (1280x853, 221 KB)Inside the blue mosque in Istanbul, also known as mosque of Sultan Ahmet I. (photo dated 14. ...
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Notes - ^ Öz, T., "Sultan Ahmet Camii' in Vakiflar Dergisi, I, Ankara, 1938
- ^ Evliya Efendi, Narrative of travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa in the seventeenth century; London, 1846
- ^ Naima M., Annals of the Turkish Empire from 1591 to 1659 of the Christian Era; Frazer, London, 1832
- ^ Tournefort, J.P., Marquis de, Relation d'un voyage du Levant, Amsterdam, 1718
References - 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 0300058888
The Grove Dictionary of Art (1996) is a 34-volume encyclopedia of art. ...
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Coordinates: 41°00′19″N, 28°58′36″E Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...
Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...
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