NUSRETIYE A ROYAL MOSQUE WITH AN UNUSUAL NAME

Today’s Zaman
Aug 23 2008
Turkey

The Tophane neighborhood of Beyoglu is home to a royal mosque with a
name that strays from the custom of naming mosques after the Ottoman
sultans who commissioned them.

Instead, its name is believed to have been chosen in celebration of
Ottoman military reforms in the 19th century. The mosque in question is
the Nusretiye Mosque, sometimes referred to as the Tophane Mosque by
locals. Although it is a "selatin" mosque — a grand mosque, usually
with more than one minaret, built by sultans or their family members
and thus named after them — it was named Nusretiye, meaning success
or victory. The name is believed to refer to the disbanding of the
rebellious Janissary corps by Mahmut II in 1826. This event is known
as Vaka-i Hayriye (the auspicious incident), and it was followed by
the establishment of a modern new army. Though the current mosque
dates back to the 19th century, it was actually constructed on the
former site of the wooden Tophane-i Amire Arabacılar KıÅ~_lası Camii
(Artillery Barracks Mosque), built by Sultan Selim III. Following the
1823 Firuzaga fire that burnt down most of Tophane, it was rebuilt
by Mahmut II between 1823 and 1826 during a project to rebuild the
Tophane artillery barracks, which were destroyed in the fire, too.

The mosque was built by architect Krikor Balyan (1764-1831), the first
of nine renowned members of the Armenian Balyan family, composed of
royal architects that served the imperial family throughout the18th
and 19th centuries. The Nusretiye Mosque once stood on a rectangular
parade ground facing the Bosporus. The artillery barracks, which were
built simultaneously with the mosque, were located at the southwest
corner. The Tophane pavilion next to the mosque and the Tophane
Clock Tower at the center of the grounds were commissioned by Sultan
Abdulmecid I, the successor of Mahmut II. The neo-classical offices
of the marshals were built in 1866 on the other side of Meclis-i
Mebusan Street behind the mosque.

The wall surrounding the mosque was demolished as part of a
road enlargement process during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz
(1861-1876). The mosque, clock tower and the pavilion have survived
to this day. But the mosque was cut off from its connection to the
coastline as the parade ground was transformed into a trade area, known
as the Amerikan Pazarı (American Bazaar) and many warehouses. This
place is now populated by nargile bars and coffee shops.

Baroque and imperial styles

Made primarily of marble and cut stone, the architectural style of
the mosque reflects a transition from Ottoman baroque to imperial
style, though still retaining some remnants of the former. It has
unique proportions with a massive main building, a high dome and tall,
slender minarets. The mosque stands on a raised basement designed to
protect the building from humidity and includes a square prayer hall
with a narthex and a mihrab apse, as well as a sultan’s lodge. The
side arcades include five domed bays that border the exterior of the
prayer hall. The side arcade to the southwest has two stories, and
its lower colonnade includes a door leading down to the basement level.

The main gate is at the center of a three-bay portico that reflects
the monumental baroque style. The approach to the door is through two
flights of stairs leading up to the platform before the gate. These
staircases are sided by the projecting bays of the sultan’s kiosk on
either side. The sultan’s kiosk dominates the frontal facade of the
mosque. Its height is equal to that of the portico domes, supported by
columns and arches that develop into open terraces below. Its entrance
is provided through a baroque gate. A striking single dome ornamented
with wooden bas-reliefs engraved with golden leaves dominates the
interior, which is finely illuminated by the 20 windows around the
beautiful dome, as well as those on the space on the arches.

The prayer niche and the minbar (pulpit), made of white marble,
feature detailed embroidery displaying flower patterns. The women’s
section is located to the northwest of the narthex and flanks the
entrance. The grand arch above the narthex rests on two piers and
three arches. The lower tier of casement windows at the ground level
is adorned with baroque-vase designs carved in the marble window
arches, while the upper windows are decorated with artificial frames,
also painted in baroque style. The royal box (hunkar mahfili) is made
entirely of marble and has a gilded brass framework. The side arcades
supporting the sultan’s lodge are partially open. These arcades were
previously closed off by windows, as can be seen in older photos of
the mosque. Today we can see the holes where window frames were once
fastened. The interior of the mosque easily catches one’s attention
thanks to its elegant inscriptions written by famous calligraphers
Mustafa Rakım Efendi and Å~^akir Efendi, while the calligraphy above
the main entrance was done by Yesarizade Mustafa Ä°zzet Efendi.

The elegantly designed, slender and fluted minarets stand at the
western and eastern corners of the mosque. The current minarets were
rebuilt in 1826 as the former minarets were not tall enough and the
mosque’s mahya — banner hung between minarets — was hidden by the
dome and invisible from the sea. Each minaret has two balconies.

In contrast to classical Ottoman mosques, which have large courtyards,
Nusretiye has a small side courtyard to the northeast of the prayer
hall. The stone courtyard also houses a fountain with a total of
12 taps and a pointed spire carried by 10 elegant columns. There is
also a public fountain and "muvakkithane" (room for the timekeeper)
to the right and left sides of the courtyard, respectively. Each has a
round shape with a conical dome. These two monuments were originally
located across the street, but they were moved and placed adjacent
to the mosque during the reign of Abdulaziz I. The mosque underwent
major restorations in 1955 and 1958 and later in 1980 and 1992.

The clock tower: The three-storey clock tower at the side of the mosque
facing the sea is hardly noticeable from the street as it remains in
the customs area behind the stores in the American Bazaar. Above its
entrance door is Sultan Abdulmecid’s insignia. The twin columns on the
first story, the ionic columns at the second and the fluted ones on the
third give the building a magnificent appearance, despite its currently
deteriorated condition. Although Nusretiye has unfortunately lost most
of its surrounding historical flavor due to various urban renewals, it
is still able to attract visitors who happen to pass by with its charm.

–Boundary_(ID_c/+3fas965FXV9oC8839fA)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress