Istanbul Guide

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During Justinian’s reign (527–65), architects were encouraged to surpass each other’s achievements when it came to utilising the domed, Roman-influenced basilica form. Aya Sofya is the supreme ex ample of this. Early Byzantine basilica design used rectangular external walls; inside was a centralised polygonal plan with supporting walls and a dome. Little Aya Sofya (Küçük Aya Sofya Camii), built around 530, is a good example. Later, a mixed basilica and centralised polygonal plan developed. This was the foundation for church design from the 11th century until the Conquest and many Ottoman mosques were inspired by it. The Monastery of Christ Pantokrator is a good example. The Byzantines also had a yen for building fortifications. The greatest of these is the still-standing land wall. Constructed in the 5th century by order of Emperor Theodosius II, it was 20km long and protected the city during multiple sieges until it was finally breached in 1453. Constantine the Great, the first Byzantine emperor, named his city ‘New Rome’. And like Rome it was characterised by great public works such as the stone aqueduct built by Emperor Valens between 368 and 378. The aqueduct fed a series of huge cisterns built across the city, one being the Basilica Cistern. Like Rome, the city was built on seven hills and to a grid pattern that included ceremonial thoroughfares such as Divan Yolu and major After the Conquest, the sultans wasted no time in putting their archi tectural stamp on the city. Mehmet didn’t even wait until he had the city under his control, building the monumental Rumeli Hisarı on the Bosphorus in 1452, the year before his great victory. Once in the city, Mehmet kicked off a centuries-long Ottoman build ing spree, constructing a number of buildings, including a mosque on the fourth hill. After these he started work on the most famous Otto man building of all: Topkapı Palace. Mehmet had a penchant for palaces, but his great-grandson, Süley man the Magnificent, was more of a mosque man. With his favourite architect, Mimar Sinan, he built the greatest of the city’s Ottoman im perial mosques. Sinan’s prototype mosque form has a forecourt with a şadırvan (ablutions fountain) and domed arcades on three sides. On the fourth side is the mosque, with a two-storey porch. The main prayer hall is covered by a central dome surrounded by smaller domes public spaces such as the Hippodrome. Ottoman Architecture

İstanbul’s Old City is included in Unesco’s World Heritage List for its mix and wealth of Byzan tine and Ottoman architectural masterpieces and its incomparable skyline.

Architecture Ottoman Architecture

Unfortunately, İstanbul notches up regular men tions in the World Monuments Fund’s watchlist of heritage in danger. Recent entries include Haydarpaşa train station, the historic city walls and the Rum (Greek) Orphan age on Büyükada.

THE GREAT SINAN None of today’s star architects come close to having the influence over a city that Mimar Koca Sinan had over Constantinople during his 50-year career. Born in 1497, Sinan was a recruit to the devşirme, the annual intake of Christian youths into the janissaries. He became a Muslim (as all such recruits did) and eventu ally took up a post as a military engineer in the corps. Süleyman the Magnificent ap pointed him the chief of the imperial architects in 1538. Sinan designed a total of 321 buildings, 85 of which are still standing in İstanbul. He died in 1588 and is buried in a self-designed türbe (tomb) located in one of the corners of the Süleymaniye Mosque, the building that many believe to be his greatest work.