The Great Mosque of Istanbul Essay -- Religion, Islam, Mosque

Hagia Sophia and the great mosques of Istanbul As a city that has played host to not one but two great empires, Istanbul has inherited a number of historical gems. The most apparent of these gems are the sultanic mosques spread across the city. While numerous in number, each mosque tells a different story through its art and architectural elements. They all share, however, triumphs in construction and architectural planning. Through their minarets, pointed arches, and abundance of luxurious building materials, these mosques exemplify the power of the empires they were born out of. The Blue Mosque and other mosques will be mentioned as well. To best present these mosques this paper will look at the Hagia Sophia as a primary example. The mosque, the Islamic location of worship, is similar to the Jewish synagogue or the Christian church in terms of purpose and services. Like other centers of worship they are composed in a very particular fashion. While the architecture of mosques differs regionally, they share the same basic components. The congregation of the mosque prays in the hamam which is a space not unlike the nave of a Christian church. The mihrab, a niche to which prayer is pointed towards, is orientated towards the holy city of Mecca (Frishman and Khan 33-35). The religious leader who carries out prayers does so from the minrab, which is very similar to a pulpit found in a Christian church. Call to prayer is given from the minarets that tower outside of some mosques. Aside from being a place of worship, mosque complexes can contain madrasahs (schools) and â€Å"hospitals, baths, and other inhabitations† (Boyar and Fleet 143). Not all mosques are as grandiose as the ones in Istanbul which were bu ilt not in honor of Islam, bu... ...olorful than the other mosques that it shares the city with, the Blue Mosque posses a warm character that appears to be non-existent in these massive, albeit grandiose, structures. The mosques of Istanbul are much more than places of worship. As initially serving as symbols of power and wealth, they now serve as windows to one of the most powerful empires in history. These mosques allow people to interact more with classical and old-world history than the ruins of the ancient Greek and Romans world can. The Hagia Sophia has transcended its original purposes, while other mosques simultaneously retain their liturgical purpose as well as serving as ambassadors to the Ottoman Empire. As the country of Istanbul pushes further into the modern world, these mosques will grow in importance due to their strong link to a past that attracts travelers to Istanbul initially.