The Evolution of Mosque Architecture in Istanbul, Turkey

The understanding of Architecture History on the evolvement of architecture through generations and cultures is a fundamental tool to gain knowledge about our past, ourselves and the world around us. The topic that will be touched upon in this thesis is the architectural evolution of mosques in Istanbul between the last regime of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. The aim of the research is to investigate how mosques evolved in Istanbul between the regime of the Ottoman Empire (1839-1922) and that of the Republic of Turkey (1923-2022). Furthermore, the correlation between Ottoman mosques and Post-Ottoman mosques within the research area, and the influence of politics on their development will be analyzed for a better understanding of the mosque architecture in Istanbul. The methodology is a descriptive comparative analysis, supported by photographs and architectural drawings. Additionally, case studies (Ortakoy Mosque (1856), Ertugrul Tekke Mosque (1896), Sisli Mosque (1949) and Marmara İlahiyat Camii (2015)) will be conducted on various architectural scales; urban context, morphology, exterior and interior, and an investigation on the political background of the reigning era. Based on the research it is concluded that the mosque has evolved through mimicking the mosque architecture of the Ottoman Empire, this movement was influenced by the political system of the early Republican era. However, the contemporary mosque does not literally replicate the grandiose mosque of the past. It includes the modern innovations and trends of its time: a modern interpretation of the past glory of the Ottoman architecture.
AR2A011
Architectural History Thesis
Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences