Ayasofya Complex and the Tombs of Ottoman Sultans
After the conquest of the city of Constantinople, the Ottoman’s first course of action was to change its name to “Istanbul,” followed by converting the famous Church of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, changing its name to the Turkish version of “Ayasofya.” At one time, Hagia Sophia was the leading M...
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Istanbul University Press
2021-10-01
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| Series: | İslam Tetkikleri Dergisi |
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| author | Mustafa Lütfi Bilge |
| author_facet | Mustafa Lütfi Bilge |
| author_sort | Mustafa Lütfi Bilge |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | After the conquest of the city of Constantinople, the Ottoman’s first course of action was to change its name to “Istanbul,” followed by converting the famous Church of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, changing its name to the Turkish version of “Ayasofya.” At one time, Hagia Sophia was the leading Metropolitan Church of the Eastern Christendom, and it was built by King Justinian in 537 during the Byzantine Empire. This conversion was called the “right of the sword.” According to the Ottoman war rule, when a city is taken after strong military resistance, it was a show of power to convert its biggest church to a mosque, which was commemorated by the preacher going up the pulpit (minber) on Fridays bearing a wooden sword in their hands. After this conversion, Sultan Mehmed erected mighty buttresses against the south wall, where he also built the first of the high and slim minarets. Furthermore, the place has been highlighted with more restorations and annexation of several other institutions like the Madrasah. As a matter of fact, the place has been considered an Islamic cultural complex with a mosque at its center. The same importance has been given by adding some more institutions there during the reigns of the following sultans. For instance, Sultan Selim II the conqueror, the son of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, erected the two buttresses against the north and the second minaret on the north-east corner, and his son Sultan Murad III, built the other two. Sultan Murad also undertook repairs to the mosque. Sultan Mahmud I established a library and a soup kitchen (İmarethane). Today, many rare books are housed in a separate section at the famous Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul. Another interesting fact is that starting from Fatih Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, sultans prefer to have their tombs to be buried in Istanbul. In the second half of the 16th century, the yard of the mosque was turned into a quarter for sultans’ tombs. Sultan Selim II, his son Sultan Murad III, and his grandson Sultan Mehmed III were all buried there. Dethroned Sultan Mustafa I and his nephew Sultan Ibrahim were also buried there. Apart from these sultans, some members of the Ottoman royal family, including their wives and children, were also buried there, for instance, the Walide Safiya Sultan, the mother of Sultan Ahmad I, who was the founder of the famous Sultan Ahmad Mosque and the wife of Sultan Mehmed III. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6d467057481a4497aaa9bd68a4d6977e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2717-6967 |
| language | Arabic |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Istanbul University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | İslam Tetkikleri Dergisi |
| spelling | doaj-art-6d467057481a4497aaa9bd68a4d6977e2025-08-20T02:58:40ZaraIstanbul University Pressİslam Tetkikleri Dergisi2717-69672021-10-0111294197410.26650/iuitd.2021.982601123456Ayasofya Complex and the Tombs of Ottoman SultansMustafa Lütfi Bilge0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9750-1850TDV İslam Araştırmaları Merkezi, İstanbul, TürkiyeAfter the conquest of the city of Constantinople, the Ottoman’s first course of action was to change its name to “Istanbul,” followed by converting the famous Church of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, changing its name to the Turkish version of “Ayasofya.” At one time, Hagia Sophia was the leading Metropolitan Church of the Eastern Christendom, and it was built by King Justinian in 537 during the Byzantine Empire. This conversion was called the “right of the sword.” According to the Ottoman war rule, when a city is taken after strong military resistance, it was a show of power to convert its biggest church to a mosque, which was commemorated by the preacher going up the pulpit (minber) on Fridays bearing a wooden sword in their hands. After this conversion, Sultan Mehmed erected mighty buttresses against the south wall, where he also built the first of the high and slim minarets. Furthermore, the place has been highlighted with more restorations and annexation of several other institutions like the Madrasah. As a matter of fact, the place has been considered an Islamic cultural complex with a mosque at its center. The same importance has been given by adding some more institutions there during the reigns of the following sultans. For instance, Sultan Selim II the conqueror, the son of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, erected the two buttresses against the north and the second minaret on the north-east corner, and his son Sultan Murad III, built the other two. Sultan Murad also undertook repairs to the mosque. Sultan Mahmud I established a library and a soup kitchen (İmarethane). Today, many rare books are housed in a separate section at the famous Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul. Another interesting fact is that starting from Fatih Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, sultans prefer to have their tombs to be buried in Istanbul. In the second half of the 16th century, the yard of the mosque was turned into a quarter for sultans’ tombs. Sultan Selim II, his son Sultan Murad III, and his grandson Sultan Mehmed III were all buried there. Dethroned Sultan Mustafa I and his nephew Sultan Ibrahim were also buried there. Apart from these sultans, some members of the Ottoman royal family, including their wives and children, were also buried there, for instance, the Walide Safiya Sultan, the mother of Sultan Ahmad I, who was the founder of the famous Sultan Ahmad Mosque and the wife of Sultan Mehmed III.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/80302242CCFF489E9B686A471D6D6841hagia sophiatombsultan tombs |
| spellingShingle | Mustafa Lütfi Bilge Ayasofya Complex and the Tombs of Ottoman Sultans İslam Tetkikleri Dergisi hagia sophia tomb sultan tombs |
| title | Ayasofya Complex and the Tombs of Ottoman Sultans |
| title_full | Ayasofya Complex and the Tombs of Ottoman Sultans |
| title_fullStr | Ayasofya Complex and the Tombs of Ottoman Sultans |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ayasofya Complex and the Tombs of Ottoman Sultans |
| title_short | Ayasofya Complex and the Tombs of Ottoman Sultans |
| title_sort | ayasofya complex and the tombs of ottoman sultans |
| topic | hagia sophia tomb sultan tombs |
| url | https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/80302242CCFF489E9B686A471D6D6841 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mustafalutfibilge ayasofyacomplexandthetombsofottomansultans |