List of Ottoman domes explained

This is a list of domes in Ottoman architecture.

Domes

Diameter Name,
Part
LocationBuiltComments and citations
mft
31.22m (102.43feet)Selimiye MosqueEdirne1574Largest Ottoman dome. Ottoman biographies of Mimar Sinan, the architect, praised the dome for equaling in width that of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul in width; the first time that this had been achieved in Ottoman architecture. For comparison: the slightly elliptical dome of the Hagia Sophia has a diameter ranging from NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet). Sinan's biography claimed that the Selimiye dome is also higher, but this may refer to the fact that the dome is taller from its base to its apex, as the curvature of the Hagia Sophia's dome is flatter and thus less tall. From the ground level to its apex, the Selimiye dome is 42.5m (139.4feet) high whereas the Hagia Sophia's is 55.6m (182.4feet) high. The Selimiye dome also became the largest dome in the Islamic world at the time of its completion.
26.5m (86.9feet)Süleymaniye MosqueIstanbul1558The dome's diameter is equal to exactly half the height between its apex and the ground. It is the second-largest historic dome in Istanbul, after the Hagia Sophia.[1]
26m (85feet)Fatih Mosque, IstanbulIstanbul1470This is the measurement of the original dome prior to its 1766 destruction by an earthquake. The mosque was rebuilt in its current form afterwards. The original dome was the largest Ottoman dome at the time of its construction, surpassed only by the Hagia Sophia's dome.[2]
25.4m (83.3feet)Nuruosmaniye MosqueIstanbul1755In the present day, it is the third largest historic dome in Istanbul (after the Hagia Sophia and the Süleymaniye).[3]
24.5m (80.4feet)Yavuz Selim MosqueIstanbul1522
24m (79feet)Üç Şerefeli MosqueEdirne1447The largest Ottoman dome at the time of its construction.
23.5m (77.1feet)Sultan Ahmed MosqueIstanbul1616
20.55m (67.42feet)Bayezid II MosqueEdirne1488Measurements of the diameter vary slightly between sources, with some citing 20.55 metres[4] while others give the width of the domed hall as 20.25 metres.
20m (70feet)Mihrimah MosqueIstanbul1565
20m (70feet)Yildirim Bayezid I MosqueMudurnu1389Among the largest very early Ottoman domes, its size is more typical of later domes but it had to be built much closer to the ground on short walls in order to ensure stability.
19m (62feet)Şehzade MosqueIstanbul1548
17.5m (57.4feet)New Mosque (Yeni Mosque)Istanbul1665[5]
17.5m (57.4feet)Bayezid II MosqueIstanbul1506
15m (49feet)Banya Bashi MosqueSofia, Bulgaria1566[6]
12.5m (41feet)Yeşil MosqueBursa1421The current dome was reconstructed by French architect Léon Parvillée in the late 19th century, following the damage caused by the 1855 Bursa earthquake.

See also

References

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Book: Greenhalgh, Michael . Islamic Architecture through Western Eyes: Spain, Turkey, India and Persia: Volume 1 . Brill . 2022 . 978-90-04-52485-9 . 155 . en.
  2. Book: Yılmaz, Nuh . Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire . 2009 . Infobase Publishing . 978-1-4381-1025-7 . Ágoston . Gábor . 216 . en . Fatih mosque complex (Fatih Külliyesi) . Masters . Bruce Alan.
  3. Suman . Selva . 2011 . Questioning an "Icon of Change": The Nuruosmaniye Complex and the Writing of Ottoman Architectural History . METU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture . 145–166 . 10.4305/METU.JFA.2011.2.7 . free.
  4. Book: Öney, Gönül . Early Ottoman Art: The Legacy of the Emirates . Bulut . Lale . Çakmak . Şakir . Daş . Ertan . Demir . Aydoğan . Demiralp . Yekta . Kuyulu . İnci . Ünal . Rahmi H. . Museum With No Frontiers, MWNF (Museum Ohne Grenzen) . 2013 . 978-3-902782-21-2 . en . VIII. 1. i Bayezid II Complex.
  5. Book: Thys-Senocak, Lucienne . Ottoman Women Builders: The Architectural Patronage of Hadice Turhan Sultan . Routledge . 2017 . 978-1-351-91315-7 . en.
  6. Bulgaria: The Bradt Travel Guide, Annie Kay, page 89, 2008