Religion in Islamic Architecture
Even though there are some parts of Islamic architecture that to modern knowledge lack symbolic religious significance, there are, nevertheless, connections to religion. Islam, which believes that everything and anything created by God is under his order and should not be idolised, does not sensationalise living things, in contract to Christianity.
The monotheistic religion of Islam has its own tenets and traditions, such as charity, fasting during Ramadan, and if possible, a pilgrimage to Mecca - even though it shares the prophetic history of Judaism and Christianity. Although it can he challenging to define Islamic art, it is understood that not all Islamic art is religious and that not all artists who produce said art must be Muslims (Artsy Net., 2023).
With regards to architecture, as mentioned, there can often be no symbolic links to religion, and the connections that are made, are often portrayed through the use of calligraphy, colour and geometry - the hallmark characteristics of Islamic architecture.
This specific blog post will explore the architecture of some of the most outstanding examples of religious institutions within Islamic style architecture - beginning with The Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
Sultanahmet Mosque (The Blue Mosque)
The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, 1723.
The Sultanahmet Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) more commonly known as The Blue Mosque was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I by architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha - the detailed workbook of the construction of this mosque consists of eight volumes and still lies in the Topkapi Palace library. The recognised name of 'The Blue Mosque' being attached to the building is due to the hand-painted blue tiles that adorn the interior walls, alongside the blue cast that envelopes the mosque of a night time as a result of lights framing the mosque's five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary domes.
The Blue Mosque features two main sections: a large unified prayer hall crowned by the main dome and an equally spacious courtyard (Smart History., 2023). As mentioned, the Mosque has six minarets (the only other mosque in the world with this many minarets was the Haram Mosque of Mecca - this led to the religious leaders of the time to become outraged and send out the Sultan's architect to Mecca to build a seventh minaret so that the holiest of mosques could retain 'superior status') and eight secondary domes, and its design was a culmination of two centuries of Ottoman Mosque design, with an incorporation of Byzantine elements of the neighbouring architectural masterpiece Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period. Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha, the architect, synthesised the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour (Architectuul., 2023).
Tall wooden gates envelop the courtyard of the mosque, and the mosque itself is revealed behind the gates presenting spectacular dove-grey domes, marble walls and gold-tipped minarets. Tourists are recommended to use the south door of the Mosque as to allow worshippers to enter through the main door only, and allows for the prayer sections of the Mosque to retain its sacred air.
Upon entrance of the mosque, there is an introduction to the more than 20,000 blue Iznik tiles in traditional Ottoman patterns adorn the walls and ceilings. Lilies, carnations and tulips are depicted throughout. The Blue Mosque's interior domes are tiled intricately, painted and decorated with verses from the Quran and the sayings of prophet Muhammed (The Travel Bunny., 2021). Many of them written by Seyyid Karim Gubari, a 17th century Ottoman artist celebrated as one of the most accomplished calligraphers of his time.
The upper levels of the building have more than 200 stained glassed windows - the coloured glass for the windows were a gift from the Signoria of Venice to the Sultan - with beautiful designs allowing natural light to ascend the interior, as of modern day there are chandeliers to aid the lighting in the building. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders.
The floors wear carpets that are regularly replaced by donations due to them getting worn out because of the number of visitors that walk upon it.
According to architectuul.com, the most important element of the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is finely carved and sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double inscriptive panel above it. Surrounded by many windows - the adjacent walls are sheathed in ceramic tiles.
Mihrab of Sultanahmet. The Blue Mosque.
Architecturally, the best way to enter The Blue Mosque is to approach it from the hippodrome (west side of the mosque) - non-muslim tourists are encouraged to visit the mosque, however, they are not allowed in during prayer time, which is of course five times a day - the mosque closes for 90 minuted each time. Shoes have to be removed from your person, and it is vital that you are dressed appropriately, women should wear a head covering - but they are freely available upon entrance of the establishment. For everyone, legs and shoulders should be covered.
It is absolutely required that tourists do not use flash photography and remain quiet always - this is not just an architectural masterpiece, but a place of worship, and that should be respected always.
The second religious institution to be analysed on Building Islam is another Turkish mosque called Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, and started construction in 1568 with its completion in 1574 by architect Mimar Sinan - a famous architect of the time who will be explored in the upcoming blog post.
The Selimiye Mosque was built at the peak of the Ottoman military and cultural power, Sultan Selim II - the son and successor of Suleiman the Magnificent, chose Edirne instead of Istanbul as the location to build his own sultan mosque. It is debated amongst historians as to why this location was chosen with some speculating Selim II had a passion for the city as he serves as governer between 1548 and 1550, and others speculating it is because Selim II had not commanded a victorious military campaign which Islamic scholars believe to have been a requirement for building a sultanic mosque in Istanbul. The construction of this mosque was funded by the help of the sultan's share of the spoils from the successful conquest of Cyprus, Selim II died in December 1574 meaning he never saw the mosque fully completed (UNESCO., 2023).
The Selimiye Mosque is considered to be the masterpiece of architect Sinan's entire career, and is thought to be one of the most important buildings in the history of the world - architecturally and monumentality. The mosque, together with the two madrasas on its southeast and southwest is located within a courtyard. A row of shops and recitation school (darülkurra) to the west of the courtyard were added to the complex by architect Davud Aga in the reign of the Sultan Murad III (1574-95).
The mosque has a rectangular, borderline square, prayer hall and on the north side, a courtyard with porticoes. There are three entrances to the courtyard, north, east and west. In the centre of the courtyard is a 12-sided fountain. Each corner of the prayer hall features a 71m high minaret each with a balcony. The mentioned balconies are accessed by three separate corners on the northeast and northwest corners (Discover Islamic Art., 2023). The approach to the north façade of the mosque is dramatic with aligned gates of the outer precinct wall and forecourt focus the eye upwards towards the intricately designed dome.
The dome rests on eight muqarnas-corbelled squinches that are in turn supported by eight large piers.
Muqarnas are faceted decorative forms used in Islamic architecture to bridge a point of transition - in relation to the Selimiye Mosque, the broad base of the dome above and the slender piers below (Khan Academy., 2023). A complex system of exterior buttresses support the east and west piers and do most of the handling for the weight of the dome. The buttresses are purposely hidden amongst the exterior porticos and galleries. The interior allows for galleries to fill the spaces in between the walls and the piers. The Qibla wall (the wall facing Mecca) projects outwards to emphasise the vast interior space. Another unusual thing that was decided upon through construction by architect Sinan, was the placement of the muezzins platform - under the centre of the dome. From the platform, the muezzins who lead prayer chant to congregation, and art historians have compared its positioning within the mosque to that of a church altar - a raised stand for biblical readings - supporting the fact that Sinan was interested in surpassing Christian architecture. The platform also creates a vertical alignment of square, octagon and circle, using geometry to refer to earthly and heavenly spaces.
Through the centuries since the construction of the Selimiye Mosque, the interior had changed as it has been repainted and then extensively restored in the 20th century. The polychrome Iznik tiles remain largely untouched since the 16th century, but in the 19th century Sultan Abdülmecid I had most of the painted decoration including arabesque motifs, plant of flower motifs, and calligraphic inscriptions added for his ordered restoration.
The sultan's private balcony for prayers, is set to the eastern corner of the mosque in an elevated position and is intricately decorated with Iznik tiles also.
Iznik tiles next to the mihrab.
The Selimiye Mosque was not only an architectural masterpiece in relation to Mimar Sinan's incredible career but in regards to the influence it had on later mosque constructions. The form of Laleli Mosque in Istanbul built in the 18th century is based on the Selimiye Mosque, as well as the modern Sabancı Merkez Camii in Adana (1988). Despite being 80% the size of the Selimiye Mosque, the Nizamiye Mosque in South Africa is modelled on it and remains the largest in the Southern hemisphere.
Laleli Mosque, Istanbul Turkey.
Sabancı Merkez Camii, Istanbul Turkey.
Nizamiye Mosque, South Africa.
Having now discussed two architectural pieces of religious institutions in the Islamic architectural style, the following blog post will focus on the work of three of the most celebrated Islamic architects and their works containing Mosques.
The production of this blog took much longer than anticipated but to finalise this post, I will share that in the next couple of posts I will be incorporating images of my own families homes and local mosques in Pakistan - the incorporation of my personal family and life has come about thanks to a group of fellow students named The Blog Club that help me with deciding what to talk about next! And hopefully create an informal, comfortable space for everyone to discuss their thoughts and opinions!
P.S. The Blue Mosque and The Selimiye Mosque are some of my favourite examples of Islamic architecture!
Artsy Net (2023) Islamic Art and Architecture. Available at: https://www.artsy.net/gene/islamic-art-and-architecture (Accessed: February 15, 2023).
Smart History (2023) The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii). Available at: https://smarthistory.org/the-blue-mosque-sultan-ahmet-camii/ (Accessed: February 15, 2023).
Architectuul (2023) Blue Mosque. Available at: https://architectuul.com/architecture/blue-mosque (Accessed: February 15, 2023).
The Travel Money (2021) Istanbul and the Beauty of the Blue Mosque. Available at: https://thetravelbunny.com/istanbul-blue-mosque/ (Accessed: February 15, 2023).
Blue Mosque (2023) Blue Mosque Mosque in Turkey. Available at: https://bluemosque.co/en/ (Accessed: February 15, 2023).
UNESCO (2023) Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1366/ (Accessed: February 20, 2023).
Discover Islamic Art (2023) Selimiye Mosque. Available at: https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;tr;mon01;23;en (Accessed: February 20, 2023).
