Yavuz Selim Mosque
Encyclopedia
The Yavuz Selim Mosque, also known as the Selim I Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque located top of the 5th Hill of Istanbul
, Turkey
, overlooking the Golden Horn
. Its size and geographic position make it a familiar landmark on the Istanbul skyline.
and completed in 1522, although an inscription in Arabic over the entrance portal indicates that it may have been in use a couple of years earlier. The architect is unknown. Numerous attempts have been made to associate the structure with the famous imperial architect Mimar Sinan, but there is no supporting documentary evidence, and the date of the mosque is too old. However, one of the türbe
in the garden of the mosque is a work of Sinan (see below).
. The large courtyard (avlu) has a colonnaded portico
with columns of various types of marble
and granite
. The mosque itself is decorated with very early examples of İznik tiles
. The mosque is flanked by twin minaret
s.
, the dome is much shallower than a full hemisphere. The windows are decorated with lunette
s of İznik tiles. To the north and south of the main room, domed passages led to four small domed rooms, which were intended to function as hospices for traveling dervish
es.
of Sultan
Selim I
. The building is externally octagonal, and has a porch decorated with panels of tiles of unique design.
A second octagonal türbe with a long inscription carved into the stonework of the exterior contains the tombs of four children of Suleiman the Magnificent
. It dates from 1556, and is attributed to Mimar Sinan. The third türbe in the garden is that of Sultan Abdülmecid I
, built shortly before his death in 1861.
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, overlooking the Golden Horn
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn is a historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of...
. Its size and geographic position make it a familiar landmark on the Istanbul skyline.
History
The Yavuz Selim Mosque is the second oldest existent imperial mosque in Istanbul. It was commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the MagnificentSuleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
and completed in 1522, although an inscription in Arabic over the entrance portal indicates that it may have been in use a couple of years earlier. The architect is unknown. Numerous attempts have been made to associate the structure with the famous imperial architect Mimar Sinan, but there is no supporting documentary evidence, and the date of the mosque is too old. However, one of the türbe
Turbe
Türbe is the Turkish word for "tomb", and for the characteristic mausoleums, often relatively small, of Ottoman royalty and notables. It is related to the Arabic turba, which can also mean a mausoleum, but more often a funerary complex, or a plot in a cemetery.-Characteristics:A typical türbe...
in the garden of the mosque is a work of Sinan (see below).
Exterior
The mosque was built on a terrace overlooking the Cistern of Aspar, the largest of the three Roman reservoirs in ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. The large courtyard (avlu) has a colonnaded portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with columns of various types of marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. The mosque itself is decorated with very early examples of İznik tiles
Iznik pottery
İznik pottery, named after the town in western Anatolia where it was made, is highly decorated ceramics that was produced between the late 15th and 17th centuries....
. The mosque is flanked by twin minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
s.
Interior
The interior plan of the mosque is a simple square room, 24.5 meters on each side, covered by a shallow dome 32.5 meters in height. As with the Hagia SophiaHagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
, the dome is much shallower than a full hemisphere. The windows are decorated with lunette
Lunette
In architecture, a lunette is a half-moon shaped space, either filled with recessed masonry or void. A lunette is formed when a horizontal cornice transects a round-headed arch at the level of the imposts, where the arch springs. If a door is set within a round-headed arch, the space within the...
s of İznik tiles. To the north and south of the main room, domed passages led to four small domed rooms, which were intended to function as hospices for traveling dervish
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
es.
The türbe
Located in the garden behind the mosque and overlooking the Golden Horn is the türbeTurbe
Türbe is the Turkish word for "tomb", and for the characteristic mausoleums, often relatively small, of Ottoman royalty and notables. It is related to the Arabic turba, which can also mean a mausoleum, but more often a funerary complex, or a plot in a cemetery.-Characteristics:A typical türbe...
of Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Selim I
Selim I
Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain , nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" , was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to...
. The building is externally octagonal, and has a porch decorated with panels of tiles of unique design.
A second octagonal türbe with a long inscription carved into the stonework of the exterior contains the tombs of four children of Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
. It dates from 1556, and is attributed to Mimar Sinan. The third türbe in the garden is that of Sultan Abdülmecid I
Abdülmecid I
Sultan Abdülmecid I, Abdul Mejid I, Abd-ul-Mejid I or Abd Al-Majid I Ghazi was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on July 2, 1839. His reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire's territories...
, built shortly before his death in 1861.
External links
- ArchNet.org - Selim I Complex in Istanbul
- Arkitera.com - Yavuz Sultan Selim Mosque is under restoration