FEATURES
The Domes of Istanbul
When the opportunity to visit Istanbul came about one of my priorities was to explore the magnificent mosques in that city, especially those built by Sinan and his followers. JOHN EATON ARPS
M
y interest in historical architecture was inherited from my father, brother and son all architects and attending a school adjacent to Chester Cathedral. Many years later, on retirement, this came to the fore in a major photographic project to document the interiors of all the English medieval cathedrals made even more challenging by the fact that I now live in California! When the opportunity to visit Istanbul came about one of my priorities was to explore the magnificent mosques in that city, especially those built by Sinan and his followers. One of the primary focal points for me was the vast open space of the interior enclosed  by the immense dome and, in particular, its construction and decoration i.e. look up!  The following images from several of the mosques illustrate some of the differences in construction and decoration of domes that fulfill a common purpose and function.
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Atike Valide on the Anatolian side of the Bosphorus
The architect, Sinan Most of the mosques in Istanbul are the work of Sinan, or one of his apprentices. Sinan was born around 1488-90 to a Christian family (Armenian or Greek) in a small Turkish village in Anatolia. In his teens he joined the Janissaries and spent the next three decades serving in multiple military campaigns across the Ottoman empire. He had received some training in carpentry and building and during the campaigns developed a reputation as an innovative and skilled engineer and, as a result, was promoted regularly. In 1539 he was promoted to Royal Chief Architect, a position he held until his death in 1588. Sinan was the chief architect and civil engineer for Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II, and Murad III. Although responsible for around 400 buildings and many outstanding engineering feats, notably the aqueducts and water-supply to Istanbul, it is for his magnificent mosques that Sinan is primarily remembered.
