The historic areas of Istanbul include several architectural masterpieces from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, such as the sixth-century Hagia Sophia and the 16th century Suleymaniye mosque. Hagia Sophia, or Aya Sofya was designed by the Greek professor of geometry Anthemios of Tralles and one of the main Byzantine Greek architects Isidoros of Miletus in 532-537. The vast dome of the architecture reflects not only the architectural expertise, but also the decorative expertise of the sixth century.
The Suleymaniye Mosque complex was designed by the famous architect during the Ottoman Empire Sinan in 1550-1557. Sinan had built many of the famed mosques in Turkey. His works reflected the climax of Ottoman architecture in the 16th century. Other mosques include the 17th century Blue Mosque and the slender minarets of the news Mosque near the port completed in 1664.
Topkapi Palace, which is a large palace in Istanbul was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for nearly 400 years out of their 624 reign. It was described when added to the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985 as “the best example of ensembles of palaces of the Ottoman period”. Apart from being the royal residence, the palace was a setting for a state occasions and royal entertainments. Today, it is a major tourist attraction, and contains important relics of the Muslim world.
The “Historic peninsula” in Istanbul, also includes many properties and architectures that are listed as human treasures under the United Nations, such as bazaars and its surroundings.
via Istanbul full of Byzantine masterpieces | GulfNews.com.
The Süleymaniye Mosque was unveiled following its most comprehensive restoration ever in its 454-year history as part of the ongoing İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture events.
Professor Selçuk Mülayim, who teaches art history at Marmara University, rolled up his sleeves to examine the newly renovated wonder of İstanbul, the Süleymaniye Mosque.
He found the job the renovation team had done at the architectural wonder, which adorns the city’s silhouette, praiseworthy and noted that the renovation should not stop at the mosque, but be extended to the entire mosque complex, explaining, “Even if someone does not believe in anything, they’d worship the Süleymaniye.” So let’s begin our tour of this grandiose structure.
The Süleymaniye Mosque was unveiled following its most comprehensive restoration ever in its 454-year history as part of the ongoing İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture events.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe likens architecture to frozen music. The Süleymaniye Mosque, which is described by its architect, Mimar Sinan, as his “architectural masterpiece,” is adorned with fine stonework, and Sinan surely continues to be an inspiration with his beliefs and futuristic vision.
The Süleymaniye Mosque was unveiled in all its splendor following its most comprehensive restoration ever in its 454-year history as part of the ongoing İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture events. Mülayim, who has written many books on Ottoman architecture, most notably “Ters Lale: Osmanlı Mimarisinde Sinan Çağı ve Süleymaniye” (Inverted Tulip: The Sinan Era in Ottoman Architecture and the Süleymaniye), “Sinan ve Çağı ile Bir Şaheser Süleymaniye Külliyesi” (A Masterpiece with Sinan and his Era, the Süleymaniye Complex), says the main principle in restoration is minimal intervention. “Renewing everything is against the idea of restoration and historical architecture,” he said, nodding in approval of the work done in the Süleymaniye Mosque, which was built on the historic peninsula in 1558.
‘A person who believes in nothing will worship the Süleymaniye’
This, the second largest mosque in İstanbul, is not just a place of worship. There is more to it, Mülayim explains. Had it only been a place of worship, Sinan would have simply built the mosque on a very large piece of land and not used so much craftsmanship. “Sinan’s works are different from Ottoman conquest works and are more effective. A non-Muslim, an agnostic who comes here is simply in awe. The Süleymaniye has a force of its own. Someone who does not believe in anything will worship the Süleymaniye because the structure has an incredibly magnetic effect,” he says.
Mülayim explains that few changes were made and that an overall good cleaning and polishing up of the building took place. The touchups were done while staying true to the original workmanship. “We can say that it’s successful because there was minimal intervention,” he notes.
Looking at the doors
“The doors were touched up. That’s great,” he adds and goes on to note that most of the doors are not originals but were replaced in the 1950s. The professor, while explaining that the mosque’s entrance doors are from the 16th century and that their refurbishing was done quite well, explains that “tile inscriptions resting on four large columns [supporting the dome] were found in the mosque and the renovation team decided it would be wrong to ruin the mosque in order to fully unveil them,” but adds that it might be a good idea to unveil a few for display purposes.
Also, deficiencies in the mihrab (a niche in the front wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca) have been fixed. The very top of the mosque contains writing with a yellow trim; this is more reflective of modern work, according to Mülayim, who says that it looks somewhat disconnected from the remainder of the mosque.
“If that part was originally without writing, it should have been left as such,” he says and notes that the Turkish tradition of donating frames — which are then hung inside — to mosques is something which is nice in essence but causes the cohesiveness of the mosque to be ruined. The historian also noted the absence of the rahle (lectern), the Quran and tespihs (prayer beads) the sultan gave to the mosque as a gift.
The Süleymaniye was originally surrounded by an incredible complex, complete with a hospital (darüşşifa), primary school, public baths (hamam), a caravanserai, four Quran schools (medrese), a school for the learning of hadith, a medical college and a public kitchen (imaret) which served food to the needy. Although many of them still stand today, the former imaret is now a noted restaurant while the former hospital now functions as a printing factory.
According to Mülayim, the hamam needs restoration as well. Sinan’s tomb, located just outside the mosque walls to the north of the structure, contains a fountain that been covered with cement. Mülayim explains that this is not right and notes that the fountain should be plated with lead instead.
Furthermore, the Seraskerlik (General Staff) building located next to the mosque as well as the back door of İstanbul University need to be cleaned up and highlighted. The university currently keeps the door out of use and tucked away as it wishes to deal with minimal inspection; however, “such a door cannot be kept away from the spotlight,” Mülayim says.
There are restaurants selling kuru fasulye (dried beans) right outside the courtyard of the mosque. This, too, is an area that needs some touching up. Mülayim laments that shops can hang labels and signs as they wish, something that ruins the overall aesthetics of the complex, resting on the third hill of İstanbul. The professor adds that the water fountains are in need of work as well and that merchants place random bags of fruit, bags and illuminated signs in the area as they wish, but that this should not be allowed.
In terms of restoration, Mülayim notes that we look to Bursa, whom he says is “very successful in this realm.”
As for the tombs, well…
The Süleymaniye complex also contains a number of tombs, including that of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Mülayim is most saddened by the status of these tombs. In the past they were pained in a cream color all over in order to appear “clean,” but following restorations then involved heavy scrubbing, he said. In the past, a wooden hut was even built at the entrance of the tombs for caretakers to lounge in and he once witnessed a nail screwed into a tile so that pants could be hung. “Can you imagine hanging pants in the tomb of a sultan who ruled the world?” he asked, pointing out that the interior of tombs must remain as simple as possible and that the more recent habit of placing the Ottoman coat of arms must be done away with.
On the issue of lighting
Large, round chandeliers that are hung in the middle of mosques are problematic, according to Mülayim. He says the original idea behind the illumination of the mosque was not to block the view of the place of worship, but to use small candles, wrapping them up in thin metal so that the inside of the mosque could be visible.
Restoration efforts took a full three years, and the historic site is now set to re-open for Eid El-Adha
Saturday, 13 November 2010 12:45
The three-year-long restoration of Istanbul’s historic Suleymaniye Mosque has been completed, and the mosque will open for prayers for Eid El-Adha.
21 million Turkish Liras was spent by the Foundations Directorate on the restoration, and now the mosque is strong enough to withstand an earthquake registering 8 on the Richter scale
The Suleymaniye Mosque was built during the era of Kanuni Sultan Suleyman (Suleiman the Magnificent) in 1551-1558 by the famous architect Mimar Sinan.
Restoration efforts took a full three years, and the historic site is now set to re-open for Eid El-Adha. The General Directorate of Foundations spent TL 21 million on the project, which was overseen by Gur Construction. A 200-member team composed of architects, artists, calligraphers, art historians, restoration experts, conservators and workers have been working day and night to complete the restoration of the Suleymaniye Mosque, which is seen as the epitome of Turkish-Islamic culture.
One positive result of the restoration is that the dome of the mosque has now been strengthened to withstand an earthquake registering 8 on the Richter scale thanks to a special cement cleansing technique used on the mosque.
There were 256 acoustic cubes discovered in the dome of the mosque, and the restoration also uncovered original pen-work in the hanging pendants that decorate the mosque. Some missing letters from a passage from the Quran, which were penned 150 years ago into the main dome, were also replaced by a decision of the restoration board.
Importance placed on science and technique
Speaking about the restoration, İstanbul Foundations Director Ibrahim Ozekinci noted that great care and importance had been placed on science and technique during the renewal process on this structure, which was immediately called “magnificent” when it opened and which is considered by many to have been a gift to world architecture from Suleiman the Magnificent.
Ozekinci noted that the structure continues to maintain its place on the World Heritage List and that as such the Foundations General Directorate had acted with great ambition and determination on this project, with the desire to see the ancient structure protected for future generations to enjoy.
Previous restorations of the Suleymaniye Mosque occurred in 1847-1849 and in the late 1950s/early 1960s. The latest effort began in 2007, and as Ozekinci explains:
”As a part of this restoration, the entire Suleymaniye Mosque was examined from tip to toe. The actual work began on the domes, with complete replacing of the leading; following this, a team from Istanbul Technical University worked using simulation techniques to determine whether or not the dome was earthquake proof. Then we discovered that the mosque could in fact withstand earthquakes of up to 8 on the Richter scale. There were some small cracks in the domes, which were strengthened. The outside of the mosque was cleaned and protectants put on.”
Cement cleansing
Ozekinci explained one of the most important techniques used in the restoration was the cement cleansing part. He said: “We saw with sadness that in the restoration done in the 1960s, there was cement used rather than the mosque’s original mortar made from lime and brick.
Perhaps that was all right for that time, but various analyses, tests and reports indicate that stone structures that have cement placed on top of them do not do well, as moisture and salting problems emerge. So the cement was removed, and finding the correct combination of ‘khorasson’ or lime and brick mortar, we applied this to the structure, and then did our decorative work. The mosque can finally breathe.”
Speaking more about the effort to rid this historic structure of its cement, Ozekinci said: ”We did not renew the Suleymaniye Mosque. Ours was a very serious project including conservators, restoration experts, architects and art historians. What was important here was to be able to restore according to the original structure of the mosque. We did not renew, but instead protected and worked according to historical needs and information. In these types of structures, it is vital that they do not lose their historical characteristics. Future generations must be able to see and read these structures for what they are and understand what their various eras have been. So our restoration was really a protective effort that stayed true to the essence of this mosque.”
256 cubes found in dome
Ozekinci noted that some interesting aspects of the mosque had been re-discovered during restorative efforts. For instance, he said, the mosque’s main dome was found to have 256 symmetrically placed cubes measuring 15 centimeters around the front and 45 centimeters in length.
He explained: ”The acoustics in Suleymaniye Mosque are truly incredible. Mimar Sinan used these symmetrically placed cubes with hollow insides to achieve this superior level of acoustics.” ozekinci also noted the team found much original calligraphic work and that some of the finds were very exciting for both the scientific and art worlds. He also said that the original tiles in the elephant legs had been found after many years.
Noting that the three-year-long restoration was about to come to an end, Ozekinci said the mosque would be opening during the Eid El-Adha next week and that it would be ready for people coming to pray. Ozekinci also said the surrounding grounds would be next on the docket for restorative efforts and that after permission was received, this aspect of the project would begin.
ISTANBUL, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) — The restoration project on Suleymaniye mosque, one of Istanbul’s most famous mosques, has been completed in time for Eid prayers, semi-official Anatolia News Agency reported on Tuesday.
The restoration on the mosque, commissioned by Suleyman the Magnificent and built by the famous architect Sinan from 1551 to 1558, has cost the Directorate of Foundations 21 million Turkish Lira (around 15 million U.S. dollars) and involved a team of 200 specialists.
The Suleymaniye mosque, as a UNESCO world heritage site, was itself a gift to worldwide architecture and the restoration project was done owing greatly to scientific methodology, Istanbul Foundation’s First Region Director Ibrahim Ozekinci was quoted as saying.
Small cracks in the dome are carefully filled in, metals are replaced, protective coating is used on the outside paint, cement from an earlier restoration is removed and the calligraphy is retouched. The simulation technique by Istanbul Technical University showed that the mosque can withstand an magnitude 8.0 earthquake.
The mosque, which has previously been restored in 1849 and 1960, will be open to public in time for Eid prayers next week.
