Istanbul - Nuruismanye Mosque

Nuruismanye Mosque

Nuruismanye Mosque

The Nuruosmaniye Mosque was built in 1749 during the rule of Mahmud I. and was completed by his brother and successor Osman III in 1755. It is located in the East of the covered bazaar and was built to replace the original mosque of Fatma Hatun which was destroyed by a fire. From the 1700s the Ottoman architecture began to be mixed with baroque and rococo influence, therefore the Nuruismanye Mosque has a unique style which is distinguished from its precedents.

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The name Nuruosmaniye, means the Light of Osman and is thought to refer to Osman III and to a verse from a sura in the Quaran which says: "God is the light of the heavens and the earth". This sura is also inscribed inside the dome. The Nuruismanye Mosque is the first baroque example in Ottoman architecture. The complex consists of a mosque, a medrese, people's kitchen, a mausoleum , a library and a fountain. One important difference of this mosque compared to other classical mosques are the numerous ornaments on the walls. Even the minarets are decorated with ornaments. The mosque consists of a single domed prayer room, preceded by a courtyard of comparable size to the northwest. The courtyard is entered through a main gate or two side gates. It has a unique semi-elliptical shape created with the use of wedge-segments. The central nave is very bright due the numerous windows which were integrated. On the left and the right of the altar in the prayer hall there are two pulpits made of green marbel. The other interior of the mosque is covered with gray marble panels up to the galleries where a thick structural cornice, inscribed with the Sura of Al-Fath, appears. The inscription was done by Yahya Fahreddin a calligrapher who was very popular as he wrote fifteen copies of the Quran. In the gravesite of the mosque Mahmud I and the mother of Osman III is buried.

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Nuruismanye Mosque by istanbul turkey.co.uk