Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque
| Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque | |
|---|---|
Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Geographic coordinates | 41°00′17″N 28°58′19″E / 41.00472°N 28.97194°E |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Mimar Sinan |
| Architectural type | mosque |
| Groundbreaking | 1571 |
| Completed | 1572 |
| Specifications | |
| Minaret(s) | 1 |
| Materials | granite, marble |
The Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque (Turkish: Sokollu Mehmed Paşa Camii) is an Ottoman mosque located in the Kadirga neighborhood of the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey.[1]
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[edit] History
The Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque was designed by Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan for Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmet Pasha (husband of one of the granddaughters of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Princess Esmahan. Its building took place from 1571 to 1572. The mosque is officially named after Princess Esmahan, but is more commonly known for its association with her far more famous husband.[2]
[edit] Architecture
[edit] Exterior
The mosque is noted for its architecturally challenging location on a steep slope. Sinan resolved this issue by fronting the mosque with a two-story courtyard. The bottom story (now in ruins) was divided into shops, whose rents were intended to help support the upkeep of mosque. The upper story with an open colonnaded courtyard had the spaces between the columns on three sides walled off to form small rooms, each with a small window, fireplace and niche to store bedding, forming the living accommodations for a madrasah. Instruction for students was given in the prayer hall itself, or in the dershane, a large domed room over the western staircase. The fourth side of the courtyard is the mosque itself, which is designed as a hexagon inscribed in a rectangle, topped by a dome with four small semi-domes in the corners.[3]
[edit] Interior
The interior of the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque is famous for its large quantities of exquisite İznik tiles, set in a very wide variety of blue and green floral designs, with panels of calligraphy in white letters on a blue field. The interior columns make use of polychrome marble. The minbar is made of white marble with a conical cap, sheathed in turquoise tiles, which also frame the mihrab. The windows above the mithrab are stained glass. Above the door, framed by a gold design, is a fragment of the Kaaba in Mecca; other fragments of this black stone are in the minbar and mihrab.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Denny, Walter B. (2005). Iznik: The Artistry of Ottoman Ceramics. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500511926.
- Faroqhi, Suraiyah (2005). Subjects of the Sultan: Culture and Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire. I B Tauris. ISBN 1850437602.
- Freely, John (2000). Blue Guide Istanbul. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0393320146.
- Rogers, J.M. (2007). Sinan: Makers of Islamic Civilization. I B Tauris. ISBN 184511096X.
[edit] External links
- Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Camii (Kadirga), at "Respect to Sinan" (www.sinanasaygi.org)
- Gallery of Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque in Fotopedia
[edit] Notes
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