The Dolmabahçe Mosque is a baroque waterside

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, ...

in Kabataş in the

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 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 ...

, close to the

Dolmabahçe Palace Dolmabahçe Palace ( tr, Dolmabahçe Sarayı, ) located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European coast of the Bosporus strait, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 t ...

. It was commissioned by Queen Mother Bezmialem Valide Sultan and designed by the Turkish Armenian architect,

Garabet Balyan The Balyan family ( hy, Պալեաններ; tr, Balyan ailesi or ''Palyan ailesi'') was a prominent Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire consisting of court architects in the service of Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dyna ...

in 1855. After his mother's death,

Sultan Abdülmecid Abdulmejid I ( ota, عبد المجيد اول, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i evvel, tr, I. Abdülmecid; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the r ...

saw the building work through to completion. The mosque has twin minarets and is distinguished by the huge stone arches on its facades which are cut with large windows, allowing light to flood the interior. From 1956 to 1960 the mosque provided a venue for the

Naval Museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navies and the militar ...

, only resuming prayer services in 1967. Road-widening robbed it of its courtyard and

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 ...

that were originally part of the design.

Background

In the 19th century, the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

covered many territories and had huge influence in

Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across a wide ra ...

s. In the year 1853, Queen Mother Bezmialem Valide Sultan commissioned the construction of the mosque to showcase

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is the architectural style that developed under the Ottoman Empire. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century and developed from earlier Seljuk architecture, Seljuk Turkish architecture, with influen ...

and also serve as a sacred place of worship. The site for the construction was strategic especially to the royal family as the

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 ...

could perform ‘ Salat al-Jumuah’ which is Friday noon prayers when many Muslims gather in large congregations and pray together. The building was designed by

and constructed in a unique combination of

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

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, ...

and empire styles, with the goal of producing the best form of architecture. Construction of the mosque began in 1853; however, Queen Bezmi passed away and her son

completed the building in 1855.

Features of Dolmabahçe Mosque

The building is situated on the shores of the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

, making the location strategic and unique to visitors. A huge

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

crowns the main prayer hall, while there are two tall

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 on the rear building sitting right behind the

symmetrically. The exterior walls have many transparent glass windows that allow for the penetration of sunlight and ventilation due to the huge size of the building and its intended large capacity. Overall, the baroque style of architecture gives the building an exceptionally ornamental aesthetic that attracts utmost attention even from a distance. A closer look at the interior of the building is even mind-boggling with beautiful

Arabic calligraphy Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting and calligraphy based on the Arabic alphabet. It is known in Arabic as ''khatt'' ( ar, خط), derived from the word 'line', 'design', or 'construction'. Kufic is the oldest form of th ...

on the walls and various symmetrical shapes in gold. At the center of the

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

are the two most inspiring Islamic themes “ Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala” and “ Mohammad, sallallahu alaihi wasallam” in yellow text and green background. The ceiling is decorated with floral designs and a huge sparkling chandelier hangs right in the center. The marble floor is covered with carpets for the purpose of prayers.

Withstanding Seismic Activities

Over the years, Dolmabahçe Mosque has withstood several seismic activities
Professor Ahmet Murat Turk
(PhD. Civil Engineering) of Istanbul Kultur University an
Cumhur Cosgun
(PhD. Structural Engineering) of Istanbul Kultur University in their book �
Seismic behaviour and Retrofit of Historic Masonry Minaret
��, analyzed the dynamic behavior of the block masonry

of Dolmabahçe Mosque. The

was in a region with high

seismicity Seismicity is a measure encompassing earthquake occurrences, mechanisms, and magnitude at a given geographical location. As such, it summarizes a region's seismic activity. The term was coined by Beno Gutenberg and Charles Francis Richter in 19 ...

and therefore the minarets of Dolmabahce Mosque are vulnerable. To an extent
Ottoman historical masonry
put seismic factors into consideration when designing and building houses and monuments such as Dolmabahçe Mosque. Indeed, despite the elegant architecture, the west side minaret has encountered damages due to seismic activities in the region and has recently been restored.

Significance

Dolmabahce Palace was home to the Ottoman crown and the official residence of the

. Dolmabahce Mosque thus served as the official

of the palace making it an important monument in the

due to its proximity. It also served as mosque for ‘ Salat al-Jumuah’ (Friday prayer mosque) as well as prayer grounds for foreign dignitaries and ambassadors from other parts of the Muslim world who visited the Sultan. Dolmabahçe Mosque, besides being a place for prayer, also uplifts the image of the Sultan among Arabs Muslims and

Persians The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They share a common cultural system and are native speakers of the Persian language as well as of the languages that are closely related to Persian. ...

as a devoted

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

who was willing to strive in

Jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

by sacrificing his wealth for the course of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

Gallery

File:İstanbul 5449.jpg, Interior of the Dolmabahçe Mosque File:RoyLindmanBezmialem 004.jpg, Detail of the mihrab of Dolmabahçe Mosque File:RoyLindmanBezmialem 005.jpg, The Dome in the Dolmabahçe Mosque File:RoyLindmanBezmialem 002.jpg, The mihrab at Dolmabahçe Mosque File:Dolmabahçe Mosque in Istanbul.JPG, View of the Dolmabahçe Mosque from sea File:Besmi Alem Valide Mosque 6169.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque from Bosporus File:Istanbul Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan mosque May 2014 8680.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque from nearby harbour File:Besmi Alem Valide Mosque 8689.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque from west File:Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan mosque 2014 8689.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque interior view towards entrance File:Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan 8691.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque top of mihrab File:Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan 8687.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque kürsü File:Moskén vid palatset Dolmabahce i Istanbul 1963 SLSA 1150 4298.jpg, alt=, The Mosque in 1963. Picture taken from the sea by mediterranean sea traveler och writer

Göran Schildt Göran Schildt (11 March 1917 – 24 January 2009) was a Finnish Swede author and art historian. He was the son of the author Runar Schildt. Life and work Schildt is perhaps best known for his travelogues with the sailboat ''Daphne''. He ...

References

External links

Images of the Dolmabahçe Mosque

History of Dolmabahce Mosque

Seismic Behaviour and Retrofit of Historic Masonry Minaret

Seismic Response Analysis of Masonry Minaret and Possible Strengthening by Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Materials

Profile of Ahmet Murat Turk

Profile of Cumhur Cosgun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolmabahce Mosque Ottoman mosques in Istanbul Mosques completed in 1855 Beşiktaş 19th-century religious buildings and structures in Turkey