Fatih Mosque, Istanbul
The Fatih Mosque (Turkish: Fatih Camii, "Conqueror's Mosque" in English) is an Ottoman mosque in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. The original mosque on the site was constructed between 1463 and 1470 on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles. It was seriously damaged in the 1766 earthquake and was rebuilt in 1771 to a different design. It is one of the largest examples of Ottoman-Islamic architecture in Istanbul and represents an important stage in the development of classic Ottoman architecture. It is named after Ottoman sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, known in Turkish as Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the Ottoman sultan who conquered Constantinople in 1453.
| Fatih Mosque | |
|---|---|
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | Istanbul, Turkey |
  Location in the Fatih district of Istanbul | |
| Geographic coordinates | 41°1′11″N 28°56′59″E |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Atik Sinan, Mimar Mehmet Tahir |
| Type | Mosque |
| Groundbreaking | 1463 |
| Completed | 1771 (rebuilt after earthquake) |
| Specifications | |
| Dome dia. (inner) | 26 meters (85 ft) |
| Minaret(s) | 2 |
| Materials | granite, marble |
The Sahn-ı Seman Medrese, a main center for the study of various traditional Islamic sciences such as theology, law, medicine, astronomy, physics and mathematics, formed part of the Fatih Mosque. It was founded by the Turkic astronomer Ali Qushji who was invited by Mehmed to his court in Istanbul.
The mosque complex was completely restored and reopened to worshippers in 2021.
History
The Fatih mosque complex was a religious and social building of unprecedented size and complexity built in Istanbul between 1463-1470 by order of Fatih Sultan Mehmed.[1] The mosque was built on the site of the former Byzantine Church of the Holy Apostles, which had been in poor condition since the Fourth Crusade, and was demolished in order for the Fatih mosque to be constructed.[1] The Church was the burial place of the Roman Emperor Constantine — before the construction of the mosque, his sarcophagus was placed in the middle of twelve other sarchophagi representing the twelveapostles, in the symbolic place of Christ.[2]
The Fatih mosque was the first monumental project in the Ottoman imperial architectural tradition.[1] It was built by the Greek architect Atik Sinan[3] who should not be confused with the more famous Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan.
The original complex included includes eight medreses, a library, a hospital (darüşşifa), a hospice (taphane), a caravanserai,[4] a market, a hamam, a primary school (mektep )and a public kitchen (imaret) which served food to the poor. Various tombs (türbes) were added at a later date. The original complex covered an almost square area of 325 metres (1,066 feet) extending along the Golden Horn side of Fevzipasa Street.
The original mosque was badly damaged in the 1509 earthquake.[5] After that it was repaired, but was then damaged again by earthquakes in 1557 and 1754 and repaired yet again. It was then completely destroyed by an earthquake on 22 May 1766 when the main dome collapsed and the walls were irreparably damaged.
Commissioned by Sultan Mustafa III, the current mosque (designed on a completely different plan) was completed in 1771[4] by the architect, Mimar Mehmet Tahir.[5]
Architecture
Exterior
The first Fatih mosque had one central dome supported by a single semi-dome of the same diameter on the qibla side and suspended on four arches. its dome was 26 meter in diameter.[1] The second Baroque mosque built after the 1766 earthquake had a square plan. It has one central dome supported by four semi-domes.[1] Only the courtyard, main entrance portal and lower portions of the minarets survive from the original construction.
Interior
The present interior of the Fatih Mosque is essentially a copy of earlier designs invented by Sinan re-used repeatedly by himself and his successors throughout Istanbul (this technique is emulative of the Hagia Sophia). The 26 meter diameter center dome is supported by four semi-domes on each axis supported by four large marble columns. There are two minarets each with twin galleries. The calligraphy within the mosque and the mimbar exhibit a Baroque influence, but the white tiles lack the splendor of the İznik tiles used in other mosques such as the Rüstem Pasha Mosque. The mihrab dates from the original construction.[1]
Complex
As with other imperial mosques in Istanbul, the Fatih Mosque was designed as a kulliye, or complex with adjacent structures to service both religious and cultural needs.
To the north and south of the mosque are the Sahn-ı Seman, eight great medreses, four on each side. These buildings are symmetrical, and each contains 18 cells for students (each housing four youths) and a dershane. Behind each was an annex, about half as large as the medrese itself, all of which have been destroyed as a result of road construction. The medreses provided for about a thousand students, making it a large university for its time.
The hospice is outside the southeast corner of the mosque precincts. It has a beautiful courtyard supported by 16 exceptional columns of verd antique and granite, which were probably salvaged from the Church of the Holy Apostles. Opposite the hospice is the large türbe of Sultan Mahmud II's mother, Naksh-i Dil Sultana.
In the graveyard on the kiblah side behind the mosque are the tombs (türbes) of Sultan Mehmet II and his wife Gulbahar Hatun. Both were reconstructed after the earthquake. The türbe of the Conqueror is very baroque with a lavishly decorated interior. The türbe of Gulbahar is simple, with classic lines, and may closely resemble the original. In addition, the graveyard has a large number of graves belonging to leading state officials, including Osman Nuri Pasha. The distinguished Ottoman scholar and university professor Halil İnalcık was buried here in 2016.
On the kiblah side of the mosque, connected to it, is a domed library which was built in 1724. One of its doors opens onto the street, while the two others open onto the inner courtyard of the mosque. The library is undergoing repairs, and the books are under protection at the Suleymaniye Library.
The caravanserai was repaired in the 1980s and combined with new shops to begin functioning as a workplace. The hospital, market, kitchens and hamam belonging to the original complex no longer exist.
Fatih Mosque west side
Fatih Mosque interior
Fatih Mosque ceiling
Fatih Mosque interior
Fatih Mosque Domes
Fatih Mosque decoration
Fatih Sultan Mosque fish eye
Fatih Mosque group
Fatih Mosque courtyard
Influences
According to the Turkish historian Mehmet Aga-Oglu, the mosque is a representation of Islamic Persian medresse architecture and not Byzantine church architecture.[6] This opinion is supported by other Turkish academics that state Ottoman architecture is an extension of "Near Eastern architectural tradition".[6]
See also
Notes
- Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire, Gábor Ágoston,Bruce Alan Masters, page 216
- Nelson, Eric (1 August 2001). The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Roman Empire. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-19918-3.
- Van Millingen, Alexander (1912). Byzantine Churches of Constantinople. London: MacMillan & Co., p. 276.
- "Fatih Mosque | Istanbul, Turkey Attractions". Lonely Planet. 8 November 2019.
- "A 550-year-old monument to a conqueror Fatih Mosque". Hurriyet Daily News. 30 March 2013.
- David Gebhard, The Problem of Space in the Ottoman Mosque, The Art Bulletin 45, no. 3 (1963): 272.
References
- Babinger, Franz (1992). Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time. Bollingen Series 96. Translated from the German by Ralph Manheim. Edited, with a preface, by William C. Hickman. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-09900-6. OCLC 716361786.
- Cruikshank, Dan (1996). Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture. Architectural Press. ISBN 0-7506-2267-9.
- Freely, John (2000). Blue Guide Istanbul. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-32014-6.
External links
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