From: "Katia M. Peltekian" <kpeltekian@yahoo.com>
Subject: Hamidiye Mosque unique architecture with a sultan’s touch
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 17 2008
Hamidiye Mosque unique architecture with a sultan’s touch
You may have noticed an elegant minaret rising modestly to the sky to
your right while climbing up from Barbaros Bulvarı toward
Yıldız in the BeÅ?iktaÅ? district.
If you were careful enough, you may also have noticed the clock tower
just across from the minaret.
It is Hamidiye Mosque — or Yıldız Mosque, as it is used
to be known to the public — that sits at the top of a hill in
Yıldız. Once rows of soldiers encircled the mosque and
mounted troops gathered just outside its courtyard, with the sultan’s
subjects behind them. Hamidiye was once the scene of flamboyant `Cuma
SelamlıÄ?ı’ ceremonies — held before and after
the Friday prayers with the participation of Ottoman sultans. Sultan
Abdülhamid II participated in these ceremonies at Hamidiye
Mosque. It is no longer possible to witness these scenes except
through historical accounts, but the mosque has lost nothing of its
elegance.
Hamidiye, adjacent to Yıldız Palace, was built by
Abdülhamid II in 1886. The architect was Nikogos Balyan, the
chief imperial architect of the time.
Once you pass through the doors leading to the courtyard of the mosque
you see two white, marble staircases, which connect you to two
different rooms on the second floor, and between them the main door,
decorated with beautiful calligraphy.
The stairs on the right lead to the Süfera Odası, a room
reserved for ambassadors, with its gilt ceiling, while the stairs to
the left lead to the ornately decorated Hünkar Mahfili, the
royal booth. To the left of the royal box, there is an elegant, white
ceramic stove that remains well-preserved, and to the right there is
another booth separated from the rest of the room with a door made
mostly of glass. This smaller booth looks out through latticework over
the main space of the mosque.
You enter the mosque through two covered rooms, the first smaller and
the second larger. These rooms contain lockable shoe boxes.
Unique architecture
Rich in interior ornamentation, Hamidiye Mosque is a unique example of
gothic revivalism (neo-gothic), an architectural movement that became
popular in the Ottoman capital in the 19th century. The neo-gothic
style is combined with classical Ottoman motifs in the mosque.
The major neo-gothic features of the mosque stem from its vertical
emphasis and the longitudinal proportions of the parts of the
building. The mosque — excluding the dome — has a total of 17
windows, which were all treated in the neo-gothic style. The mosque
has a single-balcony minaret adorned with stone carvings.
Its single dome is surrounded by 16 windows and sits upon four elegant
piers. The gilded wooden decorations on these piers supporting the
dome were partly done by Abdülhamid II himself, who was known
for his carpentry skills. The sultan’s carpentry workshop remains
today and is open to Yıldız Palace visitors. The sultan
is also said to have been involved in the design of the mosque.
The dome is painted a bright blue, which makes you feel like you are
under a twilit sky. The dome is also unique since it is one of the few
to feature star decorations, which further the feeling of looking
skyward.
Quranic verses decorate the four sides of the mosque, while the panels
on the walls are made of ebony with pearl engravings.
Hamidiye Mosque is significant because it represents a period when the
Ottoman capital was seeing a rising number of Western-style buildings
competing with classical Ottoman styles. A search for new
architectural forms was at stake. The neo-gothic style of the mosque
is one of the new major styles reflecting the architectural pluralism
of the city, as well as the Western-influenced nature of Ottoman
architecture in the 19th century.
Yıldız Clock Tower
Yıldız Clock Tower (Yıldız Saat Kulesi)
was also built by Sultan Abdülhamid II between 1889 and
1890. The tower is located at the far right corner of Hamidiye
Mosque’s courtyard.
It is a three-storey structure, also done in a neo-gothic style. The
first floor is adorned with inscriptions while the second floor houses
a thermometer and barometer and the third floor holds the clock
itself. The tower was built in honor of the 25th anniversary of the
reign of Abdülhamid II.
If you are interested in the historical Friday prayers, like those
held at Hamidiye Mosque, you can find many photos on the Internet. For
those who like to keep pictures of places they visit, photography is
certainly allowed: You can take as many photos of this magnificent
mosque as you like while enjoying its unique architecture, which is
richly decorated but somehow maintains a sense of modesty.
Who was Nikogos Balyan?
Nikogos Balyan was from the distinguished Balyan family, an
ethnic-Armenian family of Ottoman imperial architects. Architects from
the family built various mosques and churches in Ä°stanbul
throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Members of the family served a
total of six sultans during the period of the Ottoman architecture’s
Westernization. Some of the monuments they have built include Valide
Mosque, Dolmabahçe Mosque, Yıldız Palace, the
Ã`sküdar Armenian Gregorian Church and Beyazit Tower.
17 May 2008, Saturday
BÃ`Å?RA Ä°PEKÃ?Ä° Ä°STANBUL
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