The Dolmabahçe Mosque () is a baroque waterside

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

in Kabataş in the

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, close to the

Dolmabahçe Palace Dolmabahçe Palace ( ) is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. Histor ...

. It was commissioned by Queen Mother Bezmialem Valide Sultan and designed by the Turkish Armenian architect,

Garabet Balyan The Balyan family (; ) was a prominent Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire of court architects in the service of Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dynasty during the 18th and 19th centuries. For five generations, they designed ...

in 1855. After his mother's death,

Sultan Abdülmecid Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

saw the building work through to completion. The mosque has twin minarets and is distinguished by the huge stone arches on its facades which are cut with large windows, allowing light to flood the interior. From 1956 to 1960 the mosque provided a venue for the

Naval Museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navies and the militar ...

, only resuming prayer services in 1967. Road-widening robbed it of its courtyard and

sebil A sabil or sebil (; ) is a small kiosk in the Islamic architectural tradition where water is freely dispensed to members of the public by an attendant behind a grilled window. The term is sometimes also used to refer to simple unmanned fountain ...

that were originally part of the design.

Background

In the 19th century, the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

covered many territories and had huge influence in

Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslims, Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across ...

s. In the year 1853, Queen Mother Bezmialem Valide Sultan commissioned the construction of the mosque to showcase

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...

and also serve as a sacred place of worship. The site for the construction was strategic especially to the royal family as the

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

could perform ‘ Salat al-Jumuah’ which is Friday noon prayers when many Muslims gather in large congregations and pray together. The building was designed by

and constructed in a unique combination of

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

and empire styles, with the goal of producing the best form of architecture. Construction of the mosque began in 1853; however, Queen Bezmi died and her son

completed the building in 1855.

Features

The building is situated on the shores of the

Bosphorus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

, making the location strategic and unique to visitors. A huge

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

crowns the main prayer hall, while there are two tall

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s on the rear building sitting right behind the

symmetrically. The exterior walls have many transparent glass windows that allow for the penetration of sunlight and ventilation due to the huge size of the building and its intended large capacity. Overall, the baroque style of architecture gives the building an exceptionally ornamental aesthetic that attracts utmost attention even from a distance. A closer look at the interior of the building is even mind-boggling with beautiful

Arabic calligraphy Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of penmanship, handwriting and calligraphy based on the Arabic alphabet. It is known in Arabic language, Arabic as ''khatt'' (), derived from the words 'line', 'design', or 'construction'. Kufic is the ...

on the walls and various symmetrical shapes in gold. At the center of the

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

are the two most inspiring Islamic themes “ Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala” and “ Mohammad, sallallahu alaihi wasallam” in yellow text and green background. The ceiling is decorated with floral designs and a huge sparkling chandelier hangs right in the center. The marble floor is covered with carpets for the purpose of prayers.

Withstanding seismic activities

Over the years, Dolmabahçe Mosque has withstood several seismic activities. Professor Ahmet Murat Turk (PhD. Civil Engineering) of Istanbul Kultur University and Cumhur Cosgun (PhD. Structural Engineering) of Istanbul Kultur University in their book “Seismic behaviour and Retrofit of Historic Masonry Minaret”, analyzed the dynamic behavior of the block masonry

of Dolmabahçe Mosque. The

was in a region with high

seismicity Seismicity is a measure encompassing earthquake occurrences, mechanisms, and magnitude at a given geographical location. As such, it summarizes a region's seismic activity. The term was coined by Beno Gutenberg and Charles Francis Richter in 194 ...

and therefore the minarets of Dolmabahce Mosque are vulnerable. To an extent, Ottoman historical masonry put seismic factors into consideration when designing and building houses and monuments such as Dolmabahçe Mosque. Indeed, despite the elegant architecture, the west side minaret has encountered damages due to seismic activities in the region and has recently been restored.

Significance

Dolmabahce Palace was home to the Ottoman crown and the official residence of the

. Dolmabahce Mosque thus served as the official

of the palace making it an important monument in the

due to its proximity. It also served as mosque for ‘ Salat al-Jumuah’ (Friday prayer mosque) as well as prayer grounds for foreign dignitaries and ambassadors from other parts of the Muslim world who visited the Sultan. Dolmabahçe Mosque, besides being a place for prayer, also uplifts the image of the Sultan among Arabs Muslims and

Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...

as a devoted

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

who was willing to strive in

Jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

by sacrificing his wealth for the course of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Gallery

File:İstanbul 5449.jpg, Interior of the Dolmabahçe Mosque File:RoyLindmanBezmialem 004.jpg, Detail of the mihrab of Dolmabahçe Mosque File:RoyLindmanBezmialem 005.jpg, The Dome in the Dolmabahçe Mosque File:RoyLindmanBezmialem 002.jpg, The mihrab at Dolmabahçe Mosque File:Dolmabahçe Mosque in Istanbul.JPG, View of the Dolmabahçe Mosque from sea File:Besmi Alem Valide Mosque 6169.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque from Bosporus File:Istanbul Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan mosque May 2014 8680.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque from nearby harbour File:Besmi Alem Valide Mosque 8689.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque from west File:Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan mosque 2014 8689.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque interior view towards entrance File:Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan 8691.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque top of mihrab File:Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan 8687.jpg, Dolmabahçe Mosque kürsü File:Moskén vid palatset Dolmabahce i Istanbul 1963 SLSA 1150 4298.jpg, alt=, The Mosque in 1963. Picture taken from the sea by mediterranean sea traveler och writer

Göran Schildt Göran Schildt (11 March 1917 – 24 January 2009) was a Finnish Swede author and art historian. He was the son of the author Runar Schildt. Life and work Schildt is perhaps best known for his travelogues with the sailboat ''Daphne''. He ...

References

External links

Images of the Dolmabahçe Mosque

History of Dolmabahce Mosque
* *
Profile of Ahmet Murat Turk

Profile of Cumhur Cosgun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolmabahce Mosque 19th-century mosques in Turkey Buildings and structures in Beyoğlu Mosques completed in the 1850s Religious buildings and structures completed in 1855 Ottoman mosques in Istanbul Mosque buildings with domes in Turkey Mosque buildings with minarets in Turkey