I want to continue my study about Turkish art and its historical context of the last cultural artifact post. For this post, I want to do some research onTurkish architecture and learn more about how history is related to the change in Turkish architectural style.
Turkish lived in dome-like tents appropriate to their natural surroundings at the beginning in their homeland Central Asia. They were nomads at that time. These tents later influenced Turkish architecture and ornamental arts.
At the time when the Seljuk Turks first came to Iran, they encountered an architecture based on old traditions. Integrating this with elements from their own traditions, the Seljuks produced new types of structures. The most important type of structure they formulated was the" medrese". The first medresse
s (Muslim theological schools) were constructed in the 11th century by the famous minister Nizamülmülk, during the time of Alparslan and Melik Shah. The most important ones are the three government medresses in Nisabur, Tus and Baghdad and the Hargerd Medresse in Horasan.
Another area in which the Seljuks contributed to architecture is that of tomb monuments. These can be divided into two types: vaults and big dome-like mausoleums. The Ribati- Serif and the Ribati Anasirvan are examples of surviving 12th-century Seljuk caravanserais, where travelers would stopover for the night. In Seljuk buildings, brick was generally used, while the inner and outer walls were decorated in a material made by mixing marble, powder, lime, and plaster.
In typical buildings of the Anatolian Seljuk period, the major construction material was wood, laid horizontally except along windows and doors, where columns were considered more decorative.
Turkish architecture reached its peak during t
he Ottoman period. Ottoman architecture, influenced by Seljuk, Byzantine and Arab architecture, came to develop a style all of its own. The architectures from this period are also one of my favorite types of architecture.
The years 1300-1453 constitute the early or first Ottoman period when Ottoman art was in search of new ideas. During this period we encounter three types of the mosque: tiered single-domed and sub-line-angled mosques.
The architectural style which was to take on classical form after the conquest of Istanbul was born in Bursa and in Edirne. The Great Mosque (Ulu Cami) in Bursa was the first Seljuk mosque to be converted into a domed one. Edirne was the last Ottoman capital before Istanbul, and it is here that we witness the final stages in the architectural development that culminated in the construction of the great mosques of Istanbul. The buildings constructed in Istanbul between the capture of the city and the construction of the mosque of Sultan Bayezit are also considered works of the early period. Among these are the mosques of Fatih (1470), the mosque of Mahmutpasa, Tiled Pavilion and Topkapi Palace.
In Ottoman times the mosque did not exist by itself. It was looked on by society as being very much interconnected with city planning and communal life. Besides the mosque, there were soup kitchens, theological schools, hospitals, Turkish baths, and tombs.
Below are some pictures of Turkish architectures in Ottoman times.
Comments
I really enjoyed reading this post! Before reading this, I had no clue how Turkish architecture can be this special and beautiful. I really liked those architectures in Ottoman times, the colors and decorations are so elegant. I hope one day I can visit Turkey and see those amazing architecture.
I really enjoyed the read about Turkish architecture. I love how you explained the historical influences of the different building styles. The coolest building type that you researched was probably the tomb monuments. I think that is really interesting and the stylistic parts of the building is really cool. The pictures really show the extensive details of the buildings.