Architecture of Hagia Sophia - Istanbul - Turkey

 Hagia Sophia is a former basilica, later a mosque, then Museum, Now again converted into Mosque in 2020. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the essence of Byzantine Architecture and one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It was designed by two architects Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. 

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottomans, the Turks, and Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered the building to be converted to Islam. The idols, the altar, the iconostasis, and the sacrificial vessels were removed, and most of the stone objects were eventually attached. Islamic features, such as the four outer minarets, the mihrab, and the minbar, have been added to the continuation of its history under the Ottomans. It remained as a mosque until 1935 when it was converted into a museum by an international republic of the Republic of Turkey.

Hagia Sophia

For nearly 500 years Istanbul's main mosque, Hagia Sophia served as a model for many Ottoman mosques such as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Sehzade Mosque, the Squeemaniye Mosque, and the Pasha Pasha Mosque.

Architecture :

Hagia Sophia is one of the heaviest examples of Byzantine architecture, both architectural and religious. Its broad nave is covered with a medium-sized upper bone made of pendentives. Pandentives form possible dome support on a square frame of equal arches that reside on large pillars. The arches at east and west are extended by great half domes, while the half domes, in turn, carried on smaller semi domed exedrae. 

Architecture

At the east end of the temple house, there is a storehouse on the west and finally on the west a large narthex. Surrounding the nave to the north and south are sidewalks with porches above them. Their massive vaults, carried at both levels by columns of green and white marble.

Dome :

The vast nave is covered by a central dome which has a maximum diameter of 31.24 meters and a height from the floor level of 55.60 meters. The dome looks weightless with an endless arcade of 40 windows below it, helping to flood the colorful interior with light.

Dome

The dome is made of the pendant, the four triangular stone structures that solve the problem of laying a circular base of the dome on a rectangular base. In Hagia Sophia, the weight of the dome passes from the pendant to the four main poles in the corners. Among them, the dome appears to run over four huge arches.

All interiors surfaces are sheathed with polychrome marbles, green and white with purple and gold mosaics, covered on the brick. On the exterior, simple stucco walls reveal the clarity of massed vaults and domes.

Interior of Dome

Minarets :

One of the Minarets was built from red brick while the other three were built from white limestone and sandstone.

Minarets

Lustration Urns :

Two huge marble lustration urns were brought from Pergamon during the reign of Sultan Murad III. Stemming from the Hellenistic period, they are carved from single blocks of marble.

Narthex and Portals :

The Imperial Gate was the main entrance between the exo- and exonarthex. It was reserved only for the emperor. The Byzantine mosaic above the portal depicts Christ and an unnamed Emperor. A long ramp from the northern part of the outer narthex leads up to the upper gallery.

Upper Gallery :

The upper gallery is laid out in a horseshoe shape the encloses the nave until the apse. Several mosaics are preserved in the upper gallery, an area traditionally reserved for the empress and her court.

 Loge of the Empress :

The loge of the empress is located in the center of the upper enclosure, or gallery, of the Hagia Sophia. From there the empress and the court ladies would watch the proceedings down below. A round, green stone marks the spot where the throne of the empress stood.

Marble Door :

The marble door inside the Hagia Sophia is located in the southern upper enclosure or gallery. It was used by the participants in synods, they entered and left the meeting chamber through this door.

Decorations :

Originally the interior decoration consisted of abstract designs of the marble slab on the walls and mosaics on the curving vaults. There were already figurative decorations. The spandrels of the gallery are revetted in opus sectile. showing patterns and figures of flowers and birds in a cut piece of white marble, set again the background of black marble.

Mosaics:

Imperial gate mosaic located in the tympanum above the gate used only by the emperors when entering the church. It represented the emperor Leo VI bowing down before Christ Pantocrator, giving His blessing and holding in his left hand an open book. These mosaics express the timeless power bestowed by Christ on the Byzantine emperors.

Southwestern entrance mosaics, situated in the tympanum of the southwestern eastern, date from 944.

They were rediscovered during the restorations of 1849 by Fassati. The Virgin sits on a throne without a back, her feet resting on a base, embellished with precious stones. The child christ sits on her lap, giving His blessing and holding a scroll in His left hand.

Empress Zoe mosaics on the eastern wall of the southern gallery date from the 11th century. Following the building converted into a mosque in 1453, many of its mosaics were destroyed or covered with plaster, due to Islam's ban on representational imagery. This process was not completed at once, and reports exist from the 17th century.

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Topkapi Palace - Istanbul - Turkey

 Upon conquering Constantinople, Mehmed II ordered the building of a monastery on the site of the fourth-century theater of Emperor Theodosius I. With the completion of the palace at Beyazit, work began on a new palace in the seraglio area. The New Imperial Palace is known today as the Topkapi Palace. It is located at the top of a hill at the end of the historic peninsula where the waters of Marmara, Bosphorus, and the Golden Horn meet. The Topkapi Palace was restored in the 1950s by the management of the Topkapi Palace Museum and is open to visitors.

Topkapi Palace

The Palace Structure :

The first court is entered through the Imperial Gate on the fortress, across from the Church of Hagia Sophia. The entrance of the 2nd court is through the middle gate, or the salutation or Bab-ul-salam that was built by Mehmed II. The gate was renovated by Murad II in the late 16th century and no longer has its original gilded doors or portico.

The third court houses the palace of school for pages, the sultan's headquarters, and his treasury. it is entered through the gate of Felicity.

Small passages between the Hall of Treasury and the Department of the Pantry lead into the Fourth court, a loose collection of Kiosks built on three levels. 

Architectural Characteristics :

1. Imperial Gate :

The massiveness of this stone gate emphasizes its defensive character. Its central arch leads to a high-doomed. Guilded Ottoman Calligraphy adorns the structure at the top, with verses from the Holy Quran and Tughras of the Sultans.

2.First Courtyard :

The exterior of glazed bricks shows a Central Asian influence, especially from the Bibi-Khanum Mosque in Samarkand. The square, the axial plan represents the four corners of the world and symbolizes, in architectural terms, the universal authority of the Sultan. As there is no Byzantine influence, the building is ascribed to an unknown Persian architect. The stone framed brick and the polygonal pillars of the facade are typical of Persia.

3.Gate of Salutation :

This gate has two large octagonal pointed towers. The date of construction of this gate is not clear, since the architecture of towers in Byzantine influence rather than Ottoman. The gate is richly decorated on both sides and in the upper part with religious and monograms of Sultans.

4.Second Courtyard :

Numerous artifacts from the Roman and Byzantine periods have been found on the palace site during recent excavations. These include sarcophagi, baptismal fonts, parapet slabs, and pillars and capitals.

5. Harem:

The harem wing was only added at the end of the 16th century. Many of the rooms and features in the Harem were designed by Sinan. The harem was decorated again under the sultans Mahmud I and Osman III in Italian inspired Ottoman Baroque style. These decorations contrast with those of the Ottoman classical age.

6. Imperial Hall  :

The imperial Hall is also known as the Imperial Sofa, Throne Room within or Hall of Diversions is a domed hall in the Harem, believed to have been built in the late 16th century , It has the largest coming in the palace. After the great Harem fire of 1666, the hall was renovated in the rococo style during the reign of Sultan Osman III.

7. Fountains of Sultan Ahmed III :

The great square fountains are Rocco building in front of the palace gate that was built under Sultan Ahmed III in 1728. It was a social centre and gathering place. Each of the four facades contains a drinking fountain, flanked by niches and decorated in low relief with floral design.

Gok Madrasa - Sivas - Architecture in Turkey

Gok Madrasa - Seljuk Period

The Gok Madrasa One of the Madrasa Built-in Sivas in 1271. Gok Madrasa is 13th-century Madrasa. The Architect was Madrasa was Kaluytan under the order of, Seljuk Grand Vizir,  Vizir Sahip Ata. The actual name of the Madrasa is ''Sahabiye'' which is referring to Sahip Ata. But it Generally Known as Gok Madrasa. It is an Islamic Educational Institution. Gok Madrasa is One of the best Architecture in Turkey.

Gok Madrasa

History :

                      The Madrasa was Built facing a rival foundation of Mongols by Kay-Khusraw III. The madrasa has an excellent ceramic decoration. 

The facade of  Madrasa faces east and beautifully carved in marble. It is the example of the earliest Anatolian fountain. The Madrasa has several decorations of carving, by using different techniques. The ornament on the crown gate of the Building is a significant part of the structure.

The facade of Gok Madrasa

There are two minarets in the Madrasa, one on each side of the entrance. There was also Hamam and soap Kitchen in Madrasa. It is a Larger Building complex.

Plan of Gok Madrasa

In the plan, Decorations and proportions are the most developed. The Madrasa has two Stories that follow the Four- iwan plan. The iwan opposite the entrance has no longer existed. There are arcades in the north and south sides of the courtyard. Floral decoration is around the courtyard on the first and 2nd story. In addition, the 2nd floor no longer exists.

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Ince Minaret Madrasa - Seljuk Period-Architecture in Turkey

         Ince Minare Madrasa

Ince Minare Madrasa is the 13th-century Madrasa located in Konya. Ince Minare Madrasa is One of the famous Architecture in Turkey. Ince Madrasa is built between 1260 to 165 CE by Seljuk Sultan Sahib Ata Fahreddin Ali. The architect of Madrasa was the kelul ibn Abdallah. It is the most attractive architecture in Turkey. The Ince Minare Madrasa takes its name from the Its Tall Minare. The Minare of Madrasa is extremely much taller than the building.

The facade of the Building has highly ornamented with stone which includes geometric Patterns, Some relief work, and verticle lines. The entrance of the building is decorated with Thuluth, surah 36, and surah 110. The Minare of the Building has square-shaped from the lower part and round shape from the upper part. The lower part of the Minare was made up of Brick and the color was green. The minaret has two balconies and was built for the adjoining mosque, which preceded the Madrasa now ruined.

The Qibla side of the Mosque contains the prayer hall. Besides this, there is a huge hall covered with a huge decorative Dome. The dome of the madrasa is supported on the sets of four triangular pendentives but without tiles. The minaret was truncated by lighting in 1901.

The Ince madrasa has a T-shaped plan. The portal of the Mosque framed with broadband of calligraphy. The Madrasa was built in a rectangular area. The rooms of the Madrasa are arranged on the north, south, and west sides of a domed courtyard.

Ince Minaret is one of the dominant architecture in Turkey. The decorative work in the Madrasa takes place in the Entrance, the courtyard dome, and the walls of the rooms facing the courtyard. The portal and the foundations of the minaret are decorated with carved stone by using floral and geometric motifs. The decoration of the windows' tympana above the entrances to the students' chambers, the base of the dome, and the triangles making up the fan-shaped pendentives, consist of inscriptions and floral and geometric motifs executed in tile-mosaic. The geometric decoration on the body of the minaret and on the surface of the dome is achieved with both glazed and unglazed brickwork.

The Madrasa was converted into a Museum of Stonework in 1956.

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Mosque of Ala ad-Din - Seljuk Period - Arts and Architecture

 Mosque of Ala ad-Din - Seljuk Period 

Ala ad-Din Mosque is the earliest structure built at the Seljuk capital. Mosque of Ala ad-Din situated in Konya, Turkey. The construction of the Mosque began during the period of Sultan Masud I and was completed during the period of the sultan Ala-ad Din keykubad.

The Mosque of Ala ad-Din was constructed in the stage between the 12th and mid 13th centuries in Seljuk Periods. The Architect of the Mosque was Muhammad bin Halvan al -Dimsiki.

 Mosque of Ala ad-Din Features:

• The mosque has two prayer halls.
• Towards the north, the prayer hall is a wide courtyard.
• To the western part of the south, where QIbla is located, is thicker than the eastern part.
• The eastern part of the prayer hall has seven aisles isolated by six rows of columns that are unique from one another.
• Both western and eastern regions of the prayer hall have columns that are connected by pointed arches and both are covered with a flat roof.
  
• The western part of the mosque has significantly more irregular design because columns were added to the west of the bay in front of the Mihrab, simply like the case of the east of the mosque, where the irregularity of the piers also points to repairs.
• Traces of brick arches observed in the east and west walls in a north-south direction give the impression that these walls were shaped by closing off arches.
• The present horizontal lines of arches sometimes end at piers or sometimes in the middle of arches on the west and east.
  
• This is viewed as a sign that the eastern part had aisles running perpendicular to the Qibla wall.
• There is two gateway at the north end of the mosque.
• The pointed arch of the eastern portal is mounted by a knotwork motif in bi-colored marble.
  

• The facade and the columns nices on it were built during the reign of Ala-ad din keykubad I.
• The wooden minbar, executed using the Kund e Kari technique.
• The Mihrab decorated in tile mosaic.

• This is a complicated building because of the numerous additions and repairs.
• There are two monumental tombs in the courtyard. 
• One was built during the reign of Kilic Arslan II. And the other one was built during the reign of keykavus I.
• The structure was initially worked as a mosque and is still used as a place of worship

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