HISTORY OF PRECINCTS
NEW
MOSQUE (YENI CAMI)
This mosque, which is also known as Yeni Cami, the New
Mosque, dominates the square with its elegant minarets
rising slender and graceful towards the blue of the sky.
Emerged from the sea, escaped from the wave, transformed
into a dome of stones and pearls, as a Turkish poet, Mehmet
Akif, sings of it. This classical work of Turkish architecture
was built on the orders of Sultanas.
It was begun in 1597 by the architect Davud Aga at the
behest of the Sultana Safiye, wife of Murad III and mother
of Mehmet III. When this architect died in 1598 the work
was carried on by his successor Dalgic Ahmet Cavus.
At the death of Mehmet III the work came to a halt, to
be recommenced in 1663 under the Sultana Turhan Valide,
mother of Mehmet IV. Yeni Cami is preceded by a parvis,
as are other of the Great Mosques, with three grand doorways.
The parvis is surmounted by 24 domes, and in the middle
there is the fountain for ablutions, a real gem of Turkish
architecture. The general plan of the mosque is rectilinear
and very simple and rational.
The
cupola, 17 metres 50 In diameter and 36 metres in height,
rests on 48 great arches in the form of an ogive, carried
by 4 quadrangular pillars and 4 pendentives. 4 half domes
rest against these, leaving the external wall of the mosque
in a full curve. The walls and the bases of the massive
columns are decorated with ceramic tiles in tints of blue
as far as the first band of marble above the galleries.
The decoration of the imperial gallery accessible from
outside by a bannistered ramp and a special door for the
use of the sovereign, is remarkable for its marvellously
coloured tiles, its stained glass doors, and chimneys.
The
outer facade is particularly elegant with raised flights
of stairs, colonaded galleries looking out over the square,
and its half-domes resembling a pyramid of cupolas. Behind
the mosque are two sebils which provide water for passers-by;
the library of Ahmet III; the great mausoleum of the Sultana
Malice and the imperial gallery with its private approach.
The second monument to be seen in Eminonu Square is the
Egyptian Bazaar «Misir Carsisi» known as the
Spice Market, situated to the right of Yeni Cami.
THE
MOSQUE OF RUSTEM
The mosque can easily be distinguished, rising to the
right of the Egyptian Bazaar on the same thoroughfare,
alongside the Golden Horn. The architectural of the sanctuary
is remarkable, with its first floor built over a row of
small shops.
The approach is by three separate stone stairways. The
mosque was built by the great Turkish architect Sinan
towards the year 1550 on the orders of the Grand Vizir
of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. It is an exquisite
work, notable especially for the variously coloured tiles
with which the walls are completely covered. The sanctuary
is preceded by a peristyle with a double row of columns.
The facade of the mosque is also covered with tiles, all
dating from the same period, of Iznik workmanship. Those
of the mihrab are especially remarkable. During his visit
to the mosque the visitor is advised to ascend to the
upper galeries which also contain some attractive tries,
different from those below.
The street running alongside Yeni Cami and Misir Carsisi
is where the density of the traffic is a constant factor.
This street, endlessly seething with vehicles and pedestrians,
will bring us to Sirkeci Square. From this point, ascending
towards the right, one can fallow the old avenue of the
Sublime Porte, now called Ankara Avenue, which is the
centre of Istanbul's bookshops, to arrive at the City
Hall (Vilayet) built in the oriental style. The street
is encumbered with shops and stalls smothered in a mass
of signboards. The shabby looking shops give way finally
to the landscapes of Art and History.
