Nuruosmaniye Mosque and Complex

Nuruosmaniye mosqueIts construction was started by Mahmud I, Ottoman Emperor, and after his death, completed by Osman III. Tt was constructed between 1748 and 1755. It is at the entrance of Kapahcar§i. It is one of the most successful examples of European Baroque style applied in the Ottoman architecture. The mosque was constructed on one of the seven hills, within the walls of former Constantinople. Its architect is estimated to be a Byzantine Greek, named Simeon. Some of the literature reports him to be Mustafa Agha. The most important differences of Nuruosmaniye Mosque from classical Ottoman mosques are the plentiful ornaments on the main walls, ornamented minaret caps and the niche overlapping the main nave. The semi-circle designed courtyard with 12 columns and 14 domes and without a fountain has architectural and ornamental baroque characteristics which the previously constructed mosques lack. The courtyard has three entrances and there are two rows of windows at the outer walls. The mosque has a single central dome and no column is present inside. The dome measures 25,75 m. height. The central nave has three big entrance doors. The central nave has many windows to provide a plentiful of light, as if referring to the name of the mosque. There are 5 rows of windows inside. The pulpit is made of green porphyry.


Nuruosmaniye Caddesi, a street lined with carpet and antique shops, leads to the gateway of the mosque from which it gets its name. Mahmut I began the mosque in 1748, and it was finished by his brother, Osman III. It was the first in the city to exhibit the exaggerated traits of the Baroque, as seen in its massive cornices. Its most striking features, however, are the enormous unconcealed arches supporting the dome, each pierced by a mass of windows.
Light floods into the plain square prayer hall, allowing you to see the finely carved wooden calligraphic frieze which runs around the walls above the gallery.
On the other side of the mosque complex is the Nuruosmaniye Gate. This leads into Kalpakçılar Caddesi, the Grand Bazaar's street of jewellery shops .


The complex is located m Eminonu, north-west of Cemberlitas monument at the entrance to the Covered Bazaar, construction of the complex was started by Sultan Mahmud 1749, but was not completed until a year after his death in 1755. architect was Simeon Kalfa.
The complex consists of a mosque, a medresse, a soup kitchen, a library, a mausoleum, a public fountain and fountain with a spout. It is in the Baroque style and includes the many shops that surround it.
The Nuruosmantye Mosque is very distinctive from the point of view of Ottoman mosque architecture. Its three dimensional stone ornaments arc unparalleled in world architecture and are a unique masterpiece of the Baroque style. It has a single dome encircled at its base with 32 windows. The mosque is illuminated by 174 windows. The most striking of the interior decorations are the lines of the walls and dome. There are two minarets each having two galleries. For the first time, a stone rather than lead crescent was used on top of the minarets.
The medresse and soup kitchen are found to the north of the mosque, on the right as you enter the courtyard from the direction of the Covered Bazaar. They are placed in such a way as to give the courtyard the shape of a crescent. The fountain with spout is on the right as you enter from the direction of the Covered Bazaar to the left the public fountain. They are both in the Baroque style. The tomb and library are situated behind the sovereigns assembly place. Sultan Osman Ill's mother is buried in the mausoleum. The Nuruosmaniye Library is among the most elegant libraries of Istanbul and us many-valuable manuscripts are available to readers today.
 


 
 

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