Author: fenertugrul1907

The Mosque was designed by Great Ottoman architect Sinan for Esmahan Sultan, daughter of Selim II and wife of Grand Vezir Sokullu Mehmet Pasa after whom the mosque is generally called. The building construction took place from 1571 to 1572. It is one of the most beautiful of smaller mosque of Sinan.

  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 a 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 madsasah.

  The interior of the Sokulu Mehmet Pasha Mosque is famous for its large quantities of exquisite Iznik tales, set in a very wide variety of blue and green floral designs, with panels of calligraphy in the white letters on a blue field.

Sokullu Mehmet Pasa Mosque on Google Maps

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The Sinan Pasha Mosque is a mosque located in a densely populated district of Besiktas. It was built by famous Ottoman architect Sinan by the order of the admiral Sinan Pasa, brother of Rustem Pasa who was Grand vizier of Suleiman the magnificent. Before the mosque construction completed the founder of the mosque died in 1553 and buried to the mosque of Mihrimah Sultan in Uskudar. The rectangular planed mosque is built with alternating course of brick and white stone in 1555. Although the mosque is not attractive, architecturally is interesting. Its plan is a copy of the ancient Uc Serefeli mosque (1447) at Edirne.

  The prayer hall is composed of a square central space covered by a dome on pendentives and flanked by two-storey triple arcade to the east and west. The pendentives are entirely covered with geometric patterns carved in plaster. The pulpit to the left of the niche is made of marble carved finely with floral motifs and inscriptions and roofed by a conical dome.

  The circular, green-enameled brick minaret rises above the southern pier of the portal, carried on a circular stone base of black and white Stone.

Sinan Pasa Mosque on Google Maps

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SShakirin Mosque was built by the Semiha Shakir Foundation in memory of Ibrahim Shakir and Semiha Shakir and opened on 7 May 2009. The construction of the mosque took 4 years. It is the most modern mosque in Turkey.

  The mosque’s architect was Husrev Tayla, known for his work on Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara. The mosque interior designer is Zeynep Fadillioglu, a great-niece of Semiha Shakir, and the first female interior designer of a mosque. Decorative motifs of the mosque are derived from Seljukian art. The designers put a number of contemporary touches on the structure, giving it plate glass walls etched with gold-leaf verses from the Quran, framed by giant cast-iron grids.

  The waterdrop-shaped glass globes “reflecting a prayer that Allah’s light should fall on worshipers like rain,” and the women’s section is designed especially to allow female worshipers to have a clear view of the chandelier. Fadillioglu said one of her goals was to bring extra attention into the design of the women’s section of the mosque, an area that she says is often neglected by architects. According to Islamic tradition, worshippers are segregated by gender at mosques. “I have seen mosques where women have been pushed to the worst part of stairs, cramped area. Sort of as if (they are) unwanted in the mosque,” she said. “That is not what Islam is about. Women are equal in Islam to men.

Shakirin Mosque on Google Maps

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According to autobiography of the architect Sinan, starting date of construction of the Sehzade Complex was in1543 by Suleiman the magnifient. Prince Mehmed was the favorite son of the Suleiman the Magnificient whom he liked the most and ideally thought to enthrone him. After the death of Prince Mehmed, Suleiman the Magnificient decided construction of a great mosque to his memory and the project was completed in 1548. The architect Sinan called the complex his apprentice work and it was his first imperial mosque on monumental scale. The mosque has central dome flanked by four semidomes supported by four pillers. At this mosque Sinan realized a perfect central domed with four semidomes centralized building. So surpassed Ayasofa and Beyaziy Mosque and realized Renaissance architects dream.

  The complex consists a mosque, several turbes including a tomb of Prince Mehmet and Rustem Pasa, a public kitchen a tabhane or hospice and a primary school.

Sehzade Mosque on Google Maps

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The Rustem Pasa Mosque was built by famous Grand Vizier and son in law of Suleyman the Magnificent Rustem Pasha, the husband of Mihrimah Sultan. The mosque was designed by Sinan and is among the best small mosque of the city. The style used at that mosque is very different from the simplicity of Sinan and that period. It was constructed on the basement. All walls including pillars inside of the mosque and the facade of the mosque covered with famous Iznik tiles. The ceiling of the mosque contains a central dome, the diameter of which is 15.50 meters and is surrounded by full and half-domes that provide support to the central dome.

  Rustem Pasa Mosque suffered damage in a fire in 1660. After the earthquake of Istanbul in 1776, both the minaret and the dome of the mosque came to the ground. It was renovated but during the renovation, the ruined dome and minaret fell short of the reality of the structure of Sinan the Architect.

Rustem Pasa Mosque on Google Maps

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Before Istanbul was conquered by Mehmet II many times it was besieged but each time the strong Roman city walls, not allowed to be conquered. Before siege of Istanbul, Mehmet II constructed Rumeli Fortress just opposite an earlier castle which was construted by Beyazit I in 1390, on the Asian side to prevent the aid come from Balck sea. The fortress was completed in a very short time of four months in 1452 just a year before the city was conquered by Mehmet II. The fortress is a very fine example of Ottoman military architecture.

  The fortress was restored in the 1953, in connecting with the celebration of the five hundredth anniversary of the conquest of the city, turned into a museum. In summer time, during the annual Istanbul Festival of Arts, the fortress is used as an amphitheater. The best view of fortres can be seen from the Asian shore or from the boats on the Bosphorus.

Rumeli Fortress on Google Maps

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The Monument in the square called Republic Monument (Cumhuriyet Aniti in Turkish). It is erected to commemorate the foundation of the Turkish Rupublic in 1923. It was designed by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica in 1928. The 11 m high monument portrays the founders of the Turkish Republic.The monument has two sides, the side facing northward depicts Ataturk at an earlier period with military uniform and the other one facing Istiklal Caddesi has Ataturk and his comrades dressed in modern, western-European clothing, symbolizing him in both his roles, as military commander-in-chief and as statesman. Cumhuriyet Aniti is an important site, where official ceremonies on national holidays are being held.

Republic Monument on Google Maps

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The group of nine islands in the Sea of Marmara is known as the “Princes’ Islands” and is only an hour and half away from the city. In Byzantine times a number of monasteries were built here and the islands served both as summer resorts and a place for exiles.

  The steamboats that started serving the islands in the early XIX. century facilitated access to the islands, and the population started to increase rapidly when schools and hotels were built. The four larger islands grouped close to each other are covered with summer residences, villas and pine groves, and are famous for their beaches and picnic areas. The islands are crowded between May and late September, but deserted in other times. The residential areas have developed mostly around the piers and those sides of the islands facing the city. The only means of transport on the islands are horse-drawn phaetons. During the summer season and particularly on holidays, the bays and beaches attract private yachts and motorboats.

Princes Islands on Google Maps

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Pierre Loti was born in south-western part of France 1850 and is a novelist and naval officer. After he participated french navy his career as a naval officer took him to many countries on the Middle east and Far East including Istanbul, Turkey. He died in 1923 and with a state funeral buried on Island of Oleron off the atlantic coast of France. His house in Rochefort is a museum and resemble a muslim construction with tiled walls including the fountain.

  Piyerloti Cafe, named after the famous French novelist and marine attache of the same name. Here was the place where famous French novelist is said to have come for inspiration. It is the perfect place from which to view the Golden Horn and entire Historical Peninsula and to drink a frothy Turkish caffee or a glass of tea. On the streets behid the caffee there are other cofes, restaurants and hotels designed according to the old Istanbul houses style.

Piyer Loti Cafe on Google Maps

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Pantocrator is a Greek word and one of many names applied to God. It means Almighty, All-powerful, Ruler of All, Sustainer of the World. Christians ascribed this title to Jesus.

  The Pantocrator Church was a former monastery church and one of the most important historic landmarks of the Byzantine period. The monastry and south church was built by the Empress Eirene, wife of John II Comnenus, prior to her death in 1124 and dedicated to St. Saviour Pantocrator. This churh preserves a good deal of its original decoration. After the Empress Eirene death her husband John II Comnenus decided to construct a new churh to the north of Eirene Church and dedicated it to the Virgen Eleousa, the Merciful or Charitable. It is somewhat smaller but approximately similar to the Eirene’s church. This church unfortunately lost its original decorations. After north church was completed, John II decided to join two churches by a chapel. The main purpose of the chapel was to use as mortuary for the imperial Comnenian family. The first person buried here was the Empress Eirene. In 1960’s her sarcophagus was moved to the Archaeological museum, later moved to Hagia Sophia Museum.

  The monastry was one the most renowned in Byzantian period. It was including a hospice for old men, an insane asylum and a famous hospital.

  During the Latin occupation after the IV. crusade, the complex was the see of th e Venetian clergy and also used as an imperial palace by the last Latin Emperor, Baldwin. After the city was reconquered by Byzantines in 1261, the monastery was used again by Orthodox monks. After the city was conquered by Mehmet II, the churh was converted into a mosque and monastry was converted for a short while into a madrasa until Fatih Complex was completed. The monastry rooms was vanished later periods.

  Up to a few years the building was in a desolate state. Now it is added to the UNESCO watchlist of endangered monuments. During the recent years it underwent extensive restoration.

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