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Sultan Ahmad Masjid

Written by Ihsaan Abrahams

Friday, 12 September 2008

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Sultan Ahmad Masjid

The Sultan Ahmed Masjid is a historical Masjid in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1453 to 1923. The Masjidis one of several known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other Masaajid, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Masjid has become one of the greatest tourist attractions of Istanbul.

History

After the humiliating Peace of Zsitvatorok and the unfavourable result of the wars with Persia, Sultan Ahmed I decided to build a large Masjid in Istanbul to placate Allah. This would be the first imperial Masjid in more than forty years. Whereas his predecessors had paid for their Masaajid with their war booty, Sultan Ahmed I had to withdraw the funds from the treasury, because he had not won any notable victories. This provoked the anger of the ulema, the Muslim legal scholars.

The Masjid was to be built on the site of the palace of the Byzantine emperors, facing the Hagia Sophia (at that time the most venerated Masjid in Istanbul) and the hippodrome, a site of great symbolic significance. Large parts of the southern side of the Masjid rest on the foundations, the vaults and the undercrofts of the Great Palace. Several palaces, already built on the same spot, had to be bought (at considerable price) and pulled down, especially the palace of Sokollu Mehmet Pasa, and large parts of the Sphendone (curved tribune with U-shaped structure of the hippodrome).

Construction of the Masjid started in August 1609 when the sultan himself came to break the first sod. It was his intention that this would become the first Masjid of his empire. He appointed his royal architect Sedefhar Mehmet Aga, a pupil and senior assistant of the famous architect Sinan as the architect in charge of the construction. The organization of the work was described in meticulous detail in eight volumes, now in the library of the Topkapi Palace. The opening ceremonies were held in 1617 (although the gate of the Masjid records 1616) and the sultan was able to pray in the royal box (hünkâr mahfil). But the building wasn't finished yet in this last year of his reign, as the last accounts were signed by his successor Mustafa I. Known as the Blue Mosque, Sultan Ahmet Masjid is one of the most impressive monuments in the world. It is one of the elements included in the complex built by Ahmed I to compete with Ayasofya.

Architecture

The design of the Sultan Ahmed Masjid is the culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman Masjid and Byzantine church development. It incorporates some Byzantine elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great Masjid of the classical period. The architect has ably synthesized the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour, but the interior lacks his creative thinking. During the rule of Ahmed I, Sultan Ahmet Masjid was built between 1609 and 1616 CE. Designed by architect Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, the Sultan Ahmet Masjid is considered to be the last example of classical Ottoman architecture.

Exterior

Mehmet Pasa used large quantities of materials for the construction, in particular stone and marble, draining away supplies for other important works. The layout of the Masjid is irregular, as the architect had to take into account the existing constraints of the site. Its major façade, serving as the entrance, faces the hippodrome. The architect based his plan on the ?ehzade Masjid (1543-1548) in Istanbul, the first major large-scale work of Sinan, with the same square-based symmetrical quatrefoil plan and a spacious forecourt. This prayer hall is topped by an ascending system of domes and semi-domes, each supported by three exedrae, culminating in the huge encompassing central dome, which is 23.5 meters in diameter and 43 meters high at its central point. The domes are supported by four massive piers that recall those of the Selimiye Masjid in Edirne, another masterpiece of Sinan. It is obvious that Mehmet Pasa was overcautious by taking this inflated margin of safety, damaging the elegant proportions of the dome by their oppressive size. These "elephant feet" consist of multiple convex marble grooves at their base, while the upper half is painted, separated from the base by an inscriptive band with gilded words. Seen from the court, the profile of the Masjid becomes a smooth succession of domes and semi-domes. The overall effect of the exterior on the visitor is one of perfect visual harmony, leading the eye up to the peak of the central dome.

The façade of the spacious forecourt was built in the same manner as the façade of the Süleymaniye Masjid, except for the addition of the turrets on the corner domes. The court is about as large as the Masjid itself and is surrounded by a continuous, rather monotonous, vaulted arcade (revak). It has ablution facilities on both sides. The central hexagonal fountain is rather small in contrast with the dimensions of the courtyard. The monumental but narrow gateway to the courtyard stands out architecturally from the arcade. Its semi-dome has a fine stalactite structure, crowned by a rather small ribbed dome on a tall drum.

A heavy iron chain hangs in the upper part of the court entrance on the western side. Only the sultan was allowed to enter the court of the Masjid on horseback. The chain was put there, so that the sultan had to lower his head every time he entered the court in order not to get hit. This was done as a symbolic gesture, to ensure the humility (smallness) of the ruler in the face of the divine.

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