Tophane Fountain ( tr, Tophane Çeşmesi) is an 18th-century public water

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or Spring (hydrology), spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. ...

built by

Ottoman sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

Mahmud I Mahmud I ( ota, محمود اول, tr, I. Mahmud, 2 August 1696 13 December 1754), known as Mahmud the Hunchback, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1730 to 1754. He took over the throne after the Patrona Halil rebellion and he kept goo ...

in the Ottoman

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

architecture and situated in the square of

Tophane Tophane () is a quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, running downhill from Galata to the shore of the Bosphorus where it joins up with Karaköy to the southwest and Fındıklı to the northeast. In the Ottoman era, it was t ...

neighborhood in

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, meani ...

district of

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.

History

The

sebil A sebil or sabil ( ar, سبيل, sabīl ; Turkish: ''sebil'') is a small kiosk in the Islamic architectural tradition where water is freely dispensed to members of the public by an attendant behind a grilled window. The term is sometimes also ...

, a public fountain to provide drinking water for travellers and running water for praying people's

ritual washing Ritual purification is the ritual prescribed by a religion by which a person is considered to be free of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification may ...

needs, was commissioned by Sultan Mahmud I (reigned 1730–1754). It was built in 1732, in an era with great importance attached to the construction of many fountains. It is situated in the square, which is formed by the intersection of Tophane İskelesi Street and Necatibey Street. The fountain neighbors to Kılıç Ali Paşa Complex in the southwest,

Nusretiye Mosque Nusretiye Mosque is an ornate mosque located in Tophane district of Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey. It was built in 1823–1826 by Sultan Mahmut II. Historical background The mosque was commissioned by Mahmud II and built between 1822 and 1826 in ...

in the northeast, the Tophane Workshops in the northwest and the Quay in the southeast. The fountain underwent two major restorations. The first one was realized in 1837, at which its roof was completely changed, and a flat roof in the form of a terrace was adapted. In the 1956–1957, it was restored in the framework of urban transformation, and the roof and wide eaves were rearranged sticking by the original form seen at engravings. In 2006, one of Turkey's largest conglomerates contributed to the renovation and refining works at the fountain. At this occasion, the fountain was supplied with water again.

Architecture

The fountain was built as a stand-alone structure in the type of a "square fountain" ( tr, meydan çeşmesi). It looks like a monument, but contributes an architectural integration to the

Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex The Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosque ( tr, Kılıç Ali Paşa Cami) is a mosque at the heart of a complex designed and built between 1580 and 1587 by Mimar Sinan, who at the time was in his 90s. The mosque itself was constructed in 1578-1580. The comple ...

(1580), which is situated nearby. It has the form of a square prism in general. However, the lower half of the structure has an octagonal plan, which transforms into a square at the upper half with the help of

muqarnas Muqarnas ( ar, مقرنص; fa, مقرنس), also known in Iranian architecture as Ahoopāy ( fa, آهوپای) and in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe, is a form of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture. It is the archetypal form of I ...

. It was designed by the court architect

Kayseri Kayseri (; el, Καισάρεια) is a large Industrialisation, industrialised List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. The Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality area is comp ...

li Mehmed Ağa in the rococo architectural style of Ottoman Tulip Period (1703–1757). It is adorned with ornamentation showing a transition from classical to rococo style. Its design shows similarities with the Fountain of Ahmed III at Topkapı Palace (1729) and the Fountain of Ahmed III in Üsküdar (1729). All four facades have the same design, a faucet inside a

lancet arch Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

in the middle over a

watering trough A watering trough (or artificial watering point) is a man-made or natural receptacle intended to provide drinking water to animals, livestock on farms or ranches or wild animals. History In Australia, the watering trough is established so ...

to enable for bucket filling, livestock drinking or taking ritual body washing for prayer. The lancets are flanked by semicircular niches resembling a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

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 ...

. The higher-attached faucets over a sink in the four corners were designed to spend drinking water for people. A number of relief fruit tree motifs in pots adorn the structure. The lead-sheet covered wooden roof has wide eaves, and is topped by a dome in the center. The fountain features an inscription surrounding the entire structure and including a poem of Nahifi written in

Islamic calligraphy Islamic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting and calligraphy, in the languages which use Arabic alphabet or the alphabets derived from it. It includes Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, and Urdu calligraphy.Chapman, Caroline (2012). '' ...

Gallery

File:Tophane Fountain 5107.jpg, Tophane Fountain From northwest File:Tophane_Fountain.jpg, Tophane Fountain Details File:Tophane Fountain 3817.jpg, Tophane Fountain Corner File:Tophane Fountain 5106.jpg, Tophane Fountain Watering trough File:Tophane Fountain 8729.jpg, Tophane Fountain Watering trough File:Tophane Fountain 8474.jpg, Tophane Fountain Floral and arabesque decoration File:Tophane Fountain 8473.jpg, Tophane Fountain Tree decoration File:Tophane Fountain 8478.jpg, Tophane Fountain Side and Kiliç Ali Paşa

References

{{Commons category, Tophane Fountain Infrastructure completed in 1732 Fountains in Istanbul Ottoman architecture in Istanbul Rococo architecture in Turkey Beyoğlu