THE POINTED ARCH FORMATIONS AND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SÜLEYMANİYE MOSQUE, İSTANBUL

Özet

This study is an analytical review of arches as the key architectural elements in traditional structures especially pointed arches in Mimar Sinan’s Süleymaniye Mosque in İstanbul. The question of how the pointed arches were designed and used in the classical period of the Ottoman architecture and the Sinan’s Süleymaniye Mosque as the most important example of the period discussed in addition to many studies in which the arch that participates in structural fiction as part of the bearing system was examined within the scope of the style, several types of the arches that is a subspecies are mentioned depending on the position of the centers located by the division of span. On-site measurements were made for the arch formations, also restoration projects commissioned in 2007 by the Turkish Republic Directorate General of Foundations (VGM) and approved by the Cultural and Natural Heritage Conservation District Board of Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism were used for the dimensions with permission. For the first time in our previous studies, research carried out on 19 mosques that were built in İstanbul during the period of Sinan. The question of which variables depends on the design of pointed arches according to their location and usage rates of arches formed by division of span were examined. Arches are also classified according to their locations; interior, narthex, court and facades. The categorical properties like preferred types, places of use and grouping features are discussed and considered together with quantities like span, height, centers of intrados for understanding geometric formation principles. Thus, new types were found like 1:7, 1:9, 1:11 beside known types like (1:5) pencî arches and statistics like where and which conditions they were shown has been revealed. It has also been possible to compare buildings overused arch types that make up the form repertoires of the designer in selected works. The example of this extensive research detailed on a single building on Süleymaniye Mosque, best-known work of imperial architect Mimar Sinan. It has been revealed that pointed arches have been classified and arranged to provide speed and convenience in the design and construction process as a dominant stylistic determinant and founder of traditional construction systems.