Early Ottoman architecture

Clockwise from top left: Green Mosque in Bursa (1412–1424), Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) of Bursa (c. 1400), Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne (1437–1447), Tiled Kiosk (1472) at Topkapı Palace, Istanbul

Early Ottoman architecture corresponds to the period of Ottoman architecture roughly up to the 15th century.[1][2] This article covers the history of Ottoman architecture up to the end of Bayezid II's reign (r. 1447–1512), prior to the advent of what is generally considered "classical" Ottoman architecture in the 16th century.[a] Early Ottoman architecture was a continuation of earlier Seljuk and Beylik architecture while also incorporating local Byzantine influences.[1][5][4] The new styles took shape in the capital cities of Bursa and Edirne as well as in other important early Ottoman cities such as Iznik. Three main types of structures predominated in this early period: single-domed mosques (e.g. the Green Mosque in Iznik), "T-plan" buildings (e.g. the Green Mosque in Bursa), and multi-domed buildings (e.g. the Great Mosque of Bursa). Religious buildings were often part of larger charitable complexes (külliyes) that included other structures such as madrasas, hammams, tombs, and commercial establishments.

The Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne, completed in 1447, features a wide arcaded courtyard leading to a prayer hall dominated by a huge central dome. Its design marked a major step in the evolution towards the form of later imperial mosques.[7][8][9] After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Mehmed II, the first Ottoman imperial mosque in the city was the Fatih Mosque completed in 1470. Its design demonstrated an increasing influence of the ancient Hagia Sophia on Ottoman architects while also setting a precedent for vast külliye complexes with a highly organized site plan.[10] The Mosque of Bayezid II, completed in 1505 in the same city, is often considered the culmination of architectural developments of the 15th century and the final step leading to the classical style of the 16th century.[11][12][2]

  1. ^ a b Öney, Gönül; Bulut, Lale; Çakmak, Şakir; Daş, Ertan; Demir, Aydoğan; Demiralp, Yekta; Kuyulu, İnci; Ünal, Rahmi H. (2010). Early Ottoman Art: The Legacy of the Emirates. Islamic Art in the Mediterranean (2nd ed.). Museum With No Frontiers. ISBN 9783902782212.
  2. ^ a b Kuran, Aptullah (1968). The mosque in early Ottoman architecture. Chicago University Press.
  3. ^ Goodwin 1971.
  4. ^ a b Kuban 2010.
  5. ^ a b Blair & Bloom 1995.
  6. ^ Bloom, Jonathan M.; Blair, Sheila S., eds. (2009). "Architecture". The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195309911.
  7. ^ Blair & Bloom 1995, p. 145.
  8. ^ Kuban 2010, p. 143.
  9. ^ Goodwin 1971, p. 97.
  10. ^ Necipoğlu 2011, p. 84-86.
  11. ^ Goodwin 1971, p. 168: "The Mosque of Beyazit II in Istanbul must be accounted the greatest monument of his reign. It was at once the conclusion of the exploratory work executed in the provinces at Edirne, Amasya, and Tokat, and the final step forward without which the classical climax could not be reached."
  12. ^ Kuban 2010, p. 207: "The mosque of Bayezid II comes closer to classical proportions than any other building before Sinan. It is a building that, in a sense, transcends the 15th century legacy."


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