The Major Characteristics Of The Central Mosques In Istanbul

The Hagia Sophia was built in Constantinople in A.D. 532 by the emperor Justinian, who hired the renowned architects Anthemius and Isidorus to build it. It was built over an existing building built by Constantine himself. The Hagia Sophia was a very significant building of its time and one that drew attention and respect. At this time in history the Byzantines, specifically Justinian, wanted to make one message clear, that message being that the emperor of the byzantines empire,

Aside from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the mosque of Cordoba, the Great Mosque at Damascus is perhaps one of the grandest symbols of Islamic art still standing in the 21st century. The building borrows palatial architecture and is decorated with intense mosaics and paintings; most of which have been destroyed but evidence is still there. Underneath the impressive double decker arches are arrangements of spolia from the Roman Empire and intricate images of a beautiful natural landscape. This landscape, which includes specific buildings but no animals or humans, has been a source of academic debate to find the true meaning. Many scholars believe the landscape is an interpretation of Islamic paradise while other scholars dispute that, claiming it is just a landscape of the nearby area. Klaus Brisch and Maria Georgopoulou argue these sides in their publications on the Great Mosque and ultimately this paper sides with Brisch and critiques Georgopoulou through a geographic and historical lens. The Great Mosque at Damascus does appear to demonstrate the images of Islamic paradise from the geographic perspective of the Umayyad Empire.

The mosque can be identified by its elaborate squinch-supported domes. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is one of the finest surviving examples of Umayyad architecture in Spain. The mosque has marble capitals and columns in the hypostyle prayer hall. A person enters the hall through an open courtyard called a sahn. Its famous horseshoe arches have an alternated pattern of pale stone and red brick voussoirs

Islam has been a dominant force throughout Turkish history. During the Ottoman Empire, Islam ruled every part of the theocratic state, but after the demise of the empire, Turkey's rulers led the country away from political Islam. The modern Turkish state has a strictly secular government, and Islam has been relegated to the personal sphere. Although Turkey has experienced a rise in fundamentalism in the past twenty years, the separation of church and state has remained relatively intact. Even with this increase of fundamentalist Islam, the wide majority of Muslims in Turkey are moderate and tolerant. They have adapted to modern life and value Islam for its moral and spiritual messages. Islam is a guide for right living and ethical

While the Hagia Sophia and the Pantheon were built in and represent two different time periods and locations, they have some similar structural features as well as some resembling circumstances surrounding their prospective histories. Both of their unique construction is related to their different purposes and the symbolism behind the buildings. The Pantheon represents a time in which the Roman empire was booming with trade and commerce. There was a growing interest in art and sculpture as well as religion. There was also an emphasis on imperialism and the strength and power of the emperor. The transition from the Roman to the Byzantine empire took place under the emperor, Constantine and it happened around 330 C.E. He moved the capital from Rome to Byzantion and renamed the city Constantinople meaning the city of Constantine, which is modern day Istanbul. This was also a huge intersection in the east-west trade. He then changed the official religion of the empire to Christianity which created a major shift in structures, works of art, and lifestyle dynamics. The emperor was now seen as the head of the church, and in 391 C.E. all temples and forms of the pagan cult that dominated the Roman Empire were closed and banned.

The early modern Ottoman and European worlds embraced religious diversity. Like the powerful Dutch Golden Age, the Ottoman Empire was also receptive of other religions because it facilitated trade relations. In the case of Ottoman Empire, for example, other religions were tolerated despite being founded on Islam. In Spain, for example, Christianity and Jewish religions were widely practiced and accepted as Isaac de Orobio confessed to practicing both. In Amsterdam, religious tolerance was also witnessed as the immigrant Portuguese Jews lived in harmony with the Christians (“Worlds Entangled Dutch

The Hagia Sophia was one of the greatest Orthodox churches built by Justinian. Alexius IV in other words destroys the empire and lowers religious values. The empire and the emperor must be so vulnerable and powerless to have to burn religious icons in order to pay enemies. In essence, the melting of religious icons demonstrates the emperor’s weakness to sustain society. The turning against religious values made the citizens of the Byzantine Empire revolt, causing more internal conflict, which allows the Turks to devise ways to conquer the "holy lands" (Doc5.) Jonathon’s Phillips secondary source includes a primary a source where the tone is miserable and the person who is watching this empire crumble is in horror and complete sadness. This document shows Alexius IV has come to his last resort and began to destroy his one unifying element in his society. Alexius IV had to choose religion or the protection of his empire, and as most emperors would, he chose to protect society rather than preserving religion. The excerpt from The Letter of Alexius, the reader can clearly see the vulnerability of the

the most historical mosques, Hagia Sophia and the Dome of the Rock, are built for different

There will be two other necessary features in the mosque. The direction of Makkah, in which all Muslims have been commanded to pray by Allah Almighty, will be obvious by the mihrab, which is usually a small niche in the wall, indicating the direction of prayer.

Religious rituals hold a very sacred place in the hearts of believers, being able to witness one from an outsider perspective is something that is truly eye opening. Personally, following our unit in class, I had a desire to witness at least one practice associated with the Muslim religion. The Nueces Mosque was perfect for this purpose because of its proximity but is mostly dominated by a younger demographic. I reached out to the president of the mosque, Ammarah Tariq, who very graciously welcomed me to join them for their Friday ritual prayer service, Jumu’ah. Members of the community noticed I was clearly an outsider and did not hesitate to greet me and explain to me procedures to adhere to such as removing my shoes. Following the removal

The Byzantine Emperor Justinian commissioned the Hagia Sophia. The inside if it immense dome decorations simulated the light of paradise with its golden mosaics. It was utilized as a church for 916 years, but, following the conquest of Istanbul (Turks) in 1423 A.D, by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque. In 1935, the Council of Ministers, Hagia Sophia was turned it into a

The Cathedral of Córdoba is officially called The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, but it was originally built by the Islamic Moors to be a place of worship for muslims. Historians believe that before the mosque was built, there was a temple to the Roman God Janus on the same site. That temple was then converted into a church by the Visigoths before they were conquered by the Moors. It was split in 2 and used as both a church and a mosque until it was torn down and replaced with the Mosque of Cordoba. In the year 784 AD, construction for the mosque started under the emir Abd Ar-Rahman 1. It took well over 2 centuries to finish, and even after it did it went through many changes. A new minaret was added, and some design changes were made including a more decorative mihrab (signals the direction of Kaaba, a place that is very holy to muslims), and a courtyard for orange trees was placed inside it. It reached its current size in the year 987 when construction was completed.

There were riots which led to Hagia being destroyed. Emperor Justinian had Anthemius & Isidorus rebuilt it. The Hagia Sophia supported the dome using pendentives. The central dome sits on top of a ring of windows which gives a mystical effect that it is floating on heavenly light and not masonry. The light shines off the mosaics and marble walls and floor defining the space. The dome is 108 feet across and 180 high. Its interior has colored stones from around the world along the floors and walls. It has Christian mosaics on the walls. The use of pendentives made buttresses, large internal northern and southern walls, and eastern and western half domes to necessary. The pendentives transfer the weight from the dome to the piers beneath instead of to the walls. The walls were concealed and not sufficient suggests although the scale and monumentality of the Hagia Sophia were similar to Roman the design was not according to Roman ways. Bricks were used instead of concrete, it included columns and buttresses, it has eight supporting piers, and semicircular half-domes , while the Pantheon did

Hagia Sophia had been associated with legends and miracles which attracted pilgrims. Time as a mosque In 1453 AD, the Ottoman troops led by Sultan Mehmet II after more than a month in siege. When the city was conquered, the fate of Hagia Sophia changed along with the city. One of the first changes the sultan made was to convert Hagia Sophia church into a mosque.

The Hagia Sophia located in Istanbul, Turkey once was a Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal basilica, later an imperial