Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
The
Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque
, also known as the
Aksaray Valide Mosque
(
Turkish
:
Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Camii, Aksaray Valide Sultan Camii
), is a grand
Ottoman imperial mosque
in
Istanbul
,
Turkey
. It is located at the intersection of Ordu Street and Ataturk Boulevard in the
Aksaray
neighborhood beside the Pertevniyal High School (Turkish:
Pertevniyal Lisesi
) which was also built by the order of Sultana Pertevniyal in 1872. The mosque attracts 400-500 worshipers during regular prayer times and over 2,500 worshipers during
Friday prayers
.
[1]
The mosque's location was regarded as important to the
Valide Sultan
and royal family, as
Aksaray
was a vital commercial center during the Ottoman period. At the time what is now a busy pedestrian thoroughfare was known for its overwhelming beauty, with plentiful gardens and orchards.
History
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One of the last mosques built in Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire, the Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque was created for
Pertevniyal Sultan
, a consort of Sultan
Mahmud II
and mother of Sultan
Abdulaziz
. It was probably designed by Sarkis Bey of the Ottoman Armenian
Balyan
family of architects. Construction began in November 1869, and the mosque was finished in 1871.
[2]
An inscription above the gate leading to the courtyard gives the date. Other documents indicate that the foundations were created during different ceremonies in Sha'ban 1285/ November 1869. Pertevniyal Sultan died in 1883, thirteen years after the completion of the mosque, and was then buried within it.
[3]
The construction took three years to complete.
After numerous local roadworks, the mosque - approached via a grand gateway adorned with fountains - is now below the level of the surrounding streets.
The mosque was cleaned and restored in the 2010s.
Architecture
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The building is an example of Turkish
Rococo
with dollops of classical Ottoman, Moorish, Turkish,
Gothic
,
Renaissance
, and Empire styles. Some regarded the mishmash of styles as garish and short on classical Ottoman grandeur. The use of different elements shows the influence of the eclectic viewpoint common in the late Ottoman era.
[4]
The design also seems to draw influences from Indian, North African, and Andalusian architecture. It can be seen as a sign of the emerging power of Ottoman women, as the mosque is named after Pertevniyal Valide Sultan, a member of the royal family.
Exterior
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The mosque is the focal point of a complex that includes a tomb,
sebil
, fountain, time-keeper's room, library, and
medrese
.
The mosque itself follows the traditional plan with a square prayer-hall that measures 10 m x 10 m, and a single dome. ThIs is separated from the walls and brought inward while being supported on a tall, 12-sided drum. Directly in front of the prayer hall is the
portico
where latecomers could pray and the
sultan
's loge. The mosque's east, west and south facades are all embedded with turrets and the outward-facing projections of their central sections are each capped with a triangular
pediment
. Each piece of the pediment has two rows with three windows as its featured design.
Interior
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The interior is elaborately decorated with much use made of blue colouring. There are many classical Ottoman details on the walls including
blind niches
,
muqarnas
, arch motifs,
arabesques
, and Chinese-inspired floral arrangements.
[4]
The interior also features a plain marble
mihrab
and
minbar
.
The tomb of
Sultana Pertevniyal
was located in the central mosque.
Architect(s)
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]
Some believe the mosque was designed by
Montani Effendi
while others believe it to have been created by
Sarkis Balyan
.
Agop Balyan
and
Osep
may also have had a hand in the design and construction of the mosque. The World Digital Library suggests it was designed by the Turkish Armenian architect
Hakob Balyan
.
Modifications
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]
In the year AH 1328/ AD 1911, the medrese of the Pertevniyal Valide Sultain Mosque complex burned down. The time-keeper's room, the sebil, and the tomb were removed during the renovation of
Aksaray Square
(1956?1959). Parts of the tomb were relocated to the graveyard beside the tomb of
Sultan Selim III
. Eventually the Valide Sultan's tomb was reconstructed from pieces of the original. Her body was relocated first to the
Topkapı Palace
, then to the tomb of Sultan
Mahmud II
, and finally to her own tomb. The
mausoleum
was eventually demolished in 1958.
[4]
Mentions
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A photo-chrome print of the Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque is featured in the “Views of People and Sites in Turkey” from the catalog of the Detroit Publishing Company.
[5]
The Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque is mentioned in
The Architects of Ottoman Constantinople: The Balyan Family and the History of Ottoman Architecture
by Alyson Wharton.
[6]
The mosque is mentioned in "
RE-THINKING HISTORIOGRAPHY ON OTTOMAN MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE:NINETEENTH CENTURY PROVINCIAL SULTAN MOSQUES; A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
" by Ceren Katipo?lu Ozmen.
[7]
The mosque is featured in the
Museum with No Frontiers
.
See also
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Gallery
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Notes
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References
[
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]
- Faroqhi, Suraiyah (2005).
Subjects of the Sultan: Culture and Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire
. I B Tauris.
ISBN
1-85043-760-2
.
- Freely, John (2000).
Blue Guide Istanbul
. W. W. Norton & Company.
ISBN
0-393-32014-6
.
External links
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]