The Laleli Mosque ( tr, Laleli Camii, or Tulip Mosque) is an 18th-century
Ottoman imperial mosque located in
Laleli,
Fatih,
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
History
The Laleli Mosque was built by
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
Mustafa III from 1760–1763, designed in the
Ottoman Baroque
Ottoman Baroque architecture was a period in Ottoman architecture in the 18th century and early 19th century which was influenced by European Baroque architecture. Preceded by the changes of the Tulip Period, the style marked a significant departu ...
style by imperial architect
Mehmet Tahir Ağa.
The complex was destroyed by a fire in 1783 shortly after its completion and was immediately rebuilt. A fire in 1911 destroyed the
madrasah
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
, and subsequent road construction work destroyed many other auxiliary structures to the mosque.
Exterior
The mosque was built on a high terrace over a complex of vaulted shops, whose rents were intended to financially support the mosque complex. Underneath the mosque structure itself is a great hall, supported by eight enormous pillars with a fountain in the center.
The mosque is oriented along a northwest-southeast axis, and has a rectangular courtyard about twice the size of the prayer hall to the northwest. This courtyard has a continuous arcade with eighteen domed bays and an
ablution
Ablution is the act of washing oneself. It may refer to:
* Ablution as hygiene
* Ablution as ritual purification
** Ablution in Islam:
*** Wudu, daily wash
*** Ghusl, bathing ablution
*** Tayammum, waterless ablution
** Ablution in Christianity
* ...
fountain in the center. The mosque itself has a brick and masonry base, with a masonry superstructure and octagonal drum supporting the dome. There are two
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
s located at either end of the
portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
flanking the courtyard entrances.
Interior
The Laleli Mosque is an octagon inscribed within a rectangle, with a gallery on its western end. The walls make use of colorful variegated
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
s in red, blue, yellow and browns, further decorated with medallions in
opus sectile
''Opus sectile'' is a form of pietra dura popularized in the ancient and medieval Roman world where materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to make a picture or pattern. Common materials were marble, mother of pearl, and glass. The ...
using also semi-precious
onyx
Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The c ...
and
jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
s. The
mihrab
Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...
and
minbar
A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...
are likewise richly decorated with precious marbles. The interior is well lit, with numerous windows in combinations of white and
stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
.
The dome is in diameter and high on an octagonal drum of eight arches, with
semi-dome
In architecture, a semi-dome (or half-dome) is a half dome that covers a semi-circular area in a building.
Architecture
Semi-domes are a common feature of apses in Ancient Roman and traditional church architecture, and in mosques and iwans in Isla ...
s at the corner arches and larger semi-domes joining the arches above the mihrab and the central bay of the
narthex
The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...
.
Complex
Most of the structures of the Laleli Mosque ''
kulliye'' have disappeared over the years, but octagonal domed ''
türbe
''Türbe'' is the Turkish word for "tomb". In Istanbul it is often used to refer to the mausolea of the Ottoman sultans and other nobles and notables.
The word is derived from the Arabic ''turbah'' (meaning ''"soil/ground/earth"''), which ...
'' facing Ordu Street remains, and contains the graves of
Mustafa III, his wife Mihrisah Sultan, son
Selim III and daughters Hibetullah and Fatma Sultan and Mihrimah Sultan. The interior is decorated with
İznik tiles
Iznik pottery, or Iznik ware, named after the town of İznik in western Anatolia where it was made, is a decorated ceramic that was produced from the last quarter of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century.
İznik was an established ...
, and a band of calligraphy encircles the upper walls.
The ''
waqf
A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or '' mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitabl ...
'' (
endowment) of the complex also included a number of buildings throughout the city which provided revenues for the upkeep of the mosque and its ''külliye''. Among the notable inclusions were two caravanserais: the nearby Taş Han (formerly known as the Çukurçeşme Han) and the larger
Büyük Yeni Han
The Büyük Yeni Han () is a large historic ''han'' (caravanserai) in Istanbul, Turkey. It was founded by Sultan Mustafa III and completed in 1764 CE (1177 AH). It is the second largest historic caravanserai in the city.
History
The ''han ...
located in the commercial district north of the
Grand Bazaar.
The
Tayyare Apartments
The Tayyare Apartments (initially ota, Harikzedegân Apartmanları, script=Latn or later tr, Tayyare Apartmanları) are a complex of four buildings designed by Turkish architect Mimar Kemaleddin, completed in 1922 and located in the old city o ...
were built in 1922 next to the mosque on the ground of 1911 burnt down Koska
Madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
, which belonged to the mosque's complex. The buildings were redeveloped into a five-star hotel.
Gallery
LaleliMosqueView.jpg, General view
File:Laleli_Camii_13-1-2016.JPG, General view
Istanbul asv2020-02 img07 Laleli Mosque.jpg, Interior view
İstanbul 4988.jpg, Ritual fountain (şadırvan)
Laleli Mosque 1149.jpg, Laleli Mosque stairs to courtyard from the surrounding platform
Laleli Mosque 1151.jpg, Laleli Mosque view to courtyard with ablutions fountain
Laleli Mosque 6598.jpg, Laleli mosque from Ordu Caddesi
Laleli Mosque 6584.jpg, Laleli Mosque tomb Sultan Mustafa III and son Selim III
File:Istanbul_asv2020-02_img06_Laleli_Mosque.jpg, General view
Notes
References
*
*
* Goodwin, Godfrey. 1997 (reprint of 1971). ''A History of Ottoman Architecture''. Thames and Hudson: London, 388-391.
{{Ottoman architecture
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1783
Ottoman mosques in Istanbul
Mosque buildings with domes
Fatih
18th-century mosques
Baroque mosques