فن العمارة في العهد العثماني ١_a .. كتاب العمارة العربية الاسلامية

Chapter V

Architecture in the Ottoman era

A) - General characteristics of Ottoman art

In the fifteenth century, Islamic art knew a new center of civilization in which the arts flourished. That is Constantinople (Istanbul), the new capital of the Ottoman Empire (1), which Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror entered in the year 857/1453.

Since this city became the capital of the Ottomans, a new style of building architecture began to emerge in it, influenced by the style of “Hagia Sophia,” the famous Church of Justinian, which was built in the sixth century AD and turned into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest.

Before that, Ottoman art was a continuation of the Islamic Seljuk art that flourished in Anatolia and which did not differ in many of its elements from the architectural arts that took root in Syria, during the Islamic eras.

This new art spread throughout the Ottoman Empire. Its effects appeared clearly in Syria, which was included in the Ottoman conquest since 922 / 1516.

A few years after the conquest, Chad took on public buildings according to the style that had become established in Istanbul. The Sulaimaniyah Hospice appeared in Damascus in the year 965 / 1557, and the Khusrawiyya Madrasa in Aleppo in the year 951 / 1544.

The new artistic color was evident in the general appearance of the building, in the planning, and in the architectural and decorative elements, but the artistic traditions that preceded the Ottoman conquest were not completely erased, but rather mixed with the new manifestations, and continued to express their character for a century. Artistic elements that were familiar in the previous Mamluk era continued to appear in Ottoman buildings for many years, even centuries, especially in the buildings of the city of Aleppo, which was always considered to be more committed to its traditions, so much so that it was difficult to distinguish between facades built in the Mamluk era and others built in the Ottoman era (compare photos 63, 95).

We see to highlight the characteristics of this new art in the following aspects:

First: In terms of design and engineering: We see in mosques that the sanctuary or prayer hall is now built in the form of a square hall, roofed with a large remainder that has a single-story neckline and many windows. Thus, the prayer hall became short of columns and pillars that divided it into corridors and altars.

The prayer hall is preceded by a corridor covered with domes, also overlooking the courtyard. We find examples of this new design in the Sulaymaniyah, Darwishiyya, and Sinaniya mosques in Damascus, as well as in the Khusrawiyah, Adiliyah, and Bahramiyya mosques in Aleppo (see photos 79, 80 and diagram No. 37).

Instead of the school known in previous eras, the hospice appeared with its new architecture as an architectural complex that includes the mosque, which is semi-independent and occupies a private wing, and residential rooms, kitchens, restaurants, halls, and gardens (see plans 31, 36). The hospice is more comprehensive and larger than the school. The soil or burial ground are no longer part of the mosque or hospice. An office for educating children was also attached to this complex, which we find in Al-Darwishiyya and Al-Sinaniyya in Damascus.

As for the minarets, in this era they became graceful in form and slender in length. They are a cylinder or polygon with many sides, thin compared to the minarets of previous eras, and end at the top with a conical cap, armored with lead.

In the Ottoman era, we notice special attention to the establishment of markets and inns. This was in response to the expansion that occurred in trade exchanges between the countries of the Ottoman Empire. At that time, Syria enjoyed an excellent position due to its geographical location, which made it a transit and gathering area for Hajj caravans.

The markets of the Ottoman era constitute an integrated architectural group that includes commercial stores, the khan, the mosque, the bathroom, and the school. The best examples of these markets are the tailors’ market, built at the beginning of the Ottoman era, and the Hamidiya market, built at the end of this era, both in the city of Damascus.

The construction of caravanserais developed more than before, and most of their courtyards became covered with domes or arches, and attention was paid to building them and decorating them with architectural ornaments.