History

Master-mi’mar Ustad Haj Sa’ban-Ali founded the Agha Bozorg Mosque (Persian: مسجد آقا بزرگ‎ Masjed-e Āghā Bozorg) in the late 18^th century; it is a historical mosque in Kashan, Iran. It is renowned for its symmetrical architecture and appealing appearance. The complex is named after the Mulla-Mahdi Naraqi II theologian, identified as Aqa Buzurg, and an inscription dates the building from 1832 to 1833 (1248 AH). In the center of the city, there is a mosque and a theological school (madrasah). A homage to Islamic architecture, elements of Persian architecture are often delicately taken over by the mosque.

(Agha Bozorg Mosque, main building)

Agha Bozorgh Mosque was built for prayers, preaching, and teaching sessions conducted by Molla Mahdi Naraghi II, also known as Mulla Mohammad Naraqi, famously known by the Shah himself for his title of Āghā Bozorgh (literally meaning large or great lord). This magnificent mosque has a vibrant backyard and even an underground oasis for prayer ceremonies. Its blue and turquoise tiles, which are tactfully and beautifully arranged next to each other to form fascinating Persian geometric patterns, are undoubtedly the most eye-catching feature of this location. Another charming piece of Persian architecture can be found by tourists in the yard.

Several congregational halls, adjacent arcades, tiled minarets, large badgirs (wind towers), and an austere dome comprise the massive structure. With Quranic inscriptions and mosaics, the mud-brick walls, arches, and ceilings are also covered. A long, roughly rectangular footprint oriented northwest to southeast is filled by the house. The middle of the complex is occupied by a sunken courtyard constructed on two levels (ground floor and balcony). On the northwestern side, at the end of a high street lined with stores, is the entrance to the complex. It takes the shape of an iwan-portal, arched, domed. This portal leads from an arched aperture located directly opposite the entrance portal to a high, domed vestibule that overlooks the courtyard. Good examples of this art are the central courtyard and the lovely pool in the middle.

Mulla Ahmad Naraqi is renowned for rallying Iranian forces against the Russian invasion of northern Iran and calling the invading Russians a “jihad” or “holy war”. He was able to effectively reconquer the Iranian lands that had been taken during the offensive by the invading Russian armies. Mulla Ahmad Naraqi, his brothers, his sons, and his father, Mulla Muhammad Mahdi Naraqi, known as Muhaqqiq Naraqi, are some of the most prominent Shi’a clerics of their time, as well as some of the most famous Islamic Iranian scientists. Mulla Ahmad Naraqi and his father, Muhaqqiq Naraqi, are particularly well known and honored as the leading Islamic leaders of their time in Iran to this day.

(View of Agha Bozorg Mosque)

The mosque has been described as “the finest Islamic complex in Kashan and one of the best of the mid-19th century”. This beautiful architectural wonder is very atmospheric and wonderful throughout the day and at night, very incredible. As its courtyard is surrounded by student quarters, the interesting combination of mosque and madrassa (school) is very wonderful and well-constructed. Two archways leading to a flight of a few stairs that lead to an open roof terrace overlooking both levels of the courtyard flank this opening. There are two wide corridors on either side of these two archways (to the right and left as one enters the vestibule) that descend on-ramps and turn at right angles, leading to arched entrances at either end of the upper level of the courtyard’s northwestern facade.

The upper level of the courtyard is flanked by the above-mentioned roof terrace on the northwest side (raised by several feet above this upper level); by the façade of a monumental mosque on the southeast side; and by rows of blind niches on its two lateral sides (southwest and northeast), deep enough to sit in. This level acts as a balcony overlooking the courtyard’s sunken ground level. It consists of two wide iwans, one in front of the mihrab and the other by the entrance, noted for its symmetrical architecture. There are two minarets in the iwan in front of Mehrab with a brick dome. It was here that Ustad Ali Maryam began his architecture career as a pupil. Under the roof terrace and entrance pavilion, on the northwestern side, is a basement (sardab) consisting of a vast open space vaulted with deep arches. From this subterranean structure, flanking the entrance pavilion, wind catchers (badgir) in the form of towers rise.

There was also a religious school next to the mosque, all of which combined to create a single building. Badgir, the typical wind-catcher in Persian architecture that functioned as the building’s air-conditioner, also has this location. All these things reflect the simple lives of both the people and the Kashan rulers many years ago. The interior of the building consists of a central, octagonal chamber with a wide dome directly behind the central iwan, opening on three sides to an ambulatory surrounding it through archways on each of its eight sides. The two side arches on the facade of the main courtyard lead to the ambulatory sidearms. The outpatient’s northeastern arm opens to the small side court, while the southwestern arm opens to the shabistan, which is a rectangular space separated by twenty freestanding pillars into six aisles of five bays each. A single mihrab marks the path of prayer on the southwestern wall of the room under the southernmost bay.

In the heart of Kashan, Agha Bozorg Mosque gives tourists easy access to most of the popular tourist attractions of Kashan, Iran. This mosque is a sign of the simple lives of religious leaders and people in the past. The interesting point is that inside this mosque there are several sections that are eye-catching and appealing for taking pictures.

Information Sources:

1. iranpersianland.com
2. archnet.org
3. apochi.com
4. wikipedia

One of the most significant cultural heritage buildings situated on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey, is the Süleymaniye Mosque (Turkish: Süleymaniye Camii, Turkish pronunciation: sylejˈmaːnije). It is the largest in the city of Istanbul and also boasts of one of the best-known panoramas in the city. It is an imperial Ottoman mosque, and Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned the mosque, designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan (the greatest architect of the Ottoman Empire). An inscription shows the date of the foundation as 1550 and the date of the inauguration as 1557. It is also one of the most significant Ottoman-era structures. Near to the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar is the mosque.

There is an enclosure behind the mosque’s qibla wall containing the separate octagonal mausoleums of Suleiman the Magnificent and that of his wife Hurrem Sultan (Roxelana). The Süleymaniye Mosque was the biggest mosque in the town for 462 years before it was surpassed by the Çamlıca Mosque in 2019. Dedicated to Prince Mehmed, with the participation of all state organs, the mosque was completed. Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned it. As a testament to its sturdy construction, the public called it the “mosque that will remain forever”. It is the ideal example of Sinan as an architect’s creativity. Not only was the mosque the representative of a greater moral ideal, but it also functioned as a learning den. It is understood to have been used in its time as a social complex. The Süleymaniye Mosque is one of Istanbul’s best-known sights, and it commands a stunning view of the city around the Golden Horn from its spot on the Third Hill.

(North facade with the forecourt and the central fountain)

Although the mosque is known as Sinan the Architect’s masterpiece, the master himself called it “my work as a mere journeyman.” When designing the mosque, he thought it through to the finest detail. The four Süleymaniye Mosque minarets represent the four sultans who, after the conquest of Constantinople, took the throne. While the ten balconies on the minarets refer to the 10th Ottoman sultan being Suleiman’s. The inscription of the Arabic foundation above the north portal of the mosque is carved on three marble panels in Thuluth script. It gives a date of foundation in 1550 and a date of the inauguration in 1557. In fact, the mosque’s planning started before 1550, and parts of the complex were not finished until after 1557.

The visitor is struck by the elegance of the hand-loomed carpet, absolutely white, upon entering the mosque itself, except for the repeating pattern of a single niche covering the vast expanse of floor. Custom-made, in the 1950s the carpet was installed. On account of the lovely 16th century Iznik (Nicaea) glazed revetment tiles with floral and foliated motifs, the visual focus is occupied by the niche indicating the direction of Mecca (south). The concept of the Süleymaniye also plays on the self-conscious representation of Suleyman as a “second Solomon.” It references the Dome of the Rock, which was built on the site of the Temple of Solomon, as well as Justinian’s boast upon the completion of the Hagia Sophia: “Solomon, I have surpassed thee!” Suleyman’s historical significance is claimed by the Süleymaniye, comparable in magnificence to the previous structures. The structure is however smaller in scale than the Hagia Sophia, its older archetype.

When entering the mosque, an environment of unpretentious plainness strikes one. Within, there are four separate columns, all carried from various locations around the world. Among these are Istanbul’s Vefa district and Topkapı Palace, as well as the Baalbek Temple and the City of Alexandria. The dome is 53 meters in height and 27.5 meters in diameter. In terms of natural lightening given through 32 windows, the mosque is perfectly built. Since it has great acoustics, from any corner, sounds can be heard. It is recognized that under the domes, it is those empty pots that partially explain why the acoustics are so strong.

In the great fire of 1660, the Süleymaniye was destroyed and was rebuilt by Sultan Mehmed IV. During the 1766 earthquake, part of the dome collapsed. Subsequent repairs destroyed what was left of Sinan’s original decor (recent cleaning has shown that Sinan experimented first with blue, before making red the dominant color of the dome). The courtyard was used as an arms depot during World War I, and when some of the ammunition exploded, another fire broke out in the mosque. It was not completely restored again until 1956. In 2013, the building of the Haliç Metro Bridge irreparably altered the view from the north of the mosque.

In 1557, however, Mimar Sinan opened the mosque, finishing it in seven years. The completion of St. Peter’s Basilica was long-awaited, but it was finished in 1626. Sultan Suleiman gave Mimar Sinan the honor of opening this wonderful piece of art at the opening ceremony of the mosque. The door of this great mosque was opened with a golden key and applause and prayers by Mimar Sinan, who complied with this order with reverence. The entrance to the mosque itself is, like the other imperial mosques in Istanbul, followed by a forecourt with a central fountain. Of a colonnaded peristyle with columns of marble, granite, and porphyry, the courtyard is of exceptional grandeur. Rectangular Iznik tile window lunettes decorate the northwest facade of the mosque. The mosque is the first building where the brightly colored tomato red clay under the glaze contains the Iznik tiles.

(Interior looking towards the mihrab)

The tombs in the Süleymaniye Mosque courtyard belong in Ottoman society to dignitaries or renowned public figures such as Asiye and Rabia Sultan, Ahmed the Second, Suleiman the Magnificent, Hurrem Sultan, and Sinan the Architect. The four minarets are located at the four corners of the courtyard. There are three galleries (serifes) in the two taller minarets and they rise to a height of 63.8 m (209 ft) without their lead caps and 76 m (249 ft) with the caps. For mosques endowed by a sultan, four minarets were used (princes and princesses could construct two minarets; others only one). There are a total of 10 galleries in the minarets, which historically means that Suleiman I was the 10^th Ottoman sultan. The main dome is 53 meters (174 feet) wide and has a diameter that is precisely half the height of 26.5 meters (86.9 feet).

The complex includes 6 schools, a medical school, a public bath, a soup kitchen, a hospice, shops, and a caravan and stables, in addition to the mosque. It is possible to access the Süleymaniye Mosque via three separate doors situated in its three parts. The mosque’s fountain courtyard welcomes tourists. The mosque’s interior is almost square, 59 meters (194 feet) long and 58 meters (190 feet) wide, creating a single vast space. In terms of the golden ratio, the mosque also stands out. The golden ratio yields a value of 1.618 if the distance is divided by height. With its marvelous features, the fountain in the middle of the courtyard stands out. The white marble mihrab and mimbar are also simple in nature, with simple ivory and mother of pearl designs, and woodwork is limited.

There are two mausoleums in the courtyard behind the main portion of the mosque where Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Hurrem and their daughter Mihrimah are buried. The tomb of the architect Sinan lies just outside the mosque walls, to the north. In 1922, it was fully rebuilt.

Information Sources:

1. eliteworldhotels.com
2. istanbul.com
3. interestingengineering.com
4. wikipedia

A mosque located in Isfahan, Iran is the Shah Mosque (Persian: مسجد شاه‎; “Royal Mosque”), also known as the Masjed-e Emām (Persian: ‘Imam Mosque’). The mosque was situated in the center of Eṣfahān, along a wide central mall (city square, or courtyard) called the Maydān-e Emām, part of the reconstruction effort of the Ṣafavid Shah ʿAbbās I (since 1979 a World Heritage site). The mosque is situated on Naghsh-e Jahan Square’s south side. According to the Persian Saying: “Isfahan is half the world”; amazing mosques, bridges, and lovely squares fill the city; in other words, this city will keep tourists busy for days.

In 1597, Shah Abbas relocated the capital of the Safavid dynasty to Isfahan with the intention of focusing on political social, economic, and cultural activities, shifting the center of Isfahan away from the area around the old Friday mosque in the north and bringing it closer to the Zayandeh River. The mosque (Shah Mosque) is considered one of the masterpieces of the Islamic age of Persian architecture. The Royal Mosque is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with Naghsh-e Jahan Square. The Masjid-i Shah was the largest architectural memorial to Shah ‘Abbas. The monumental Iwan portal of the mosque is situated exactly opposite the Iwan portal on the Maydan’s northern arcade, which connects the Maydan to the old bazaar to the north.

(Shah Mosque Courtyard)

The construction of the mosques began in 1611 and was completed around 1630, during the rule of Shah Safi, the successor of Abbas, who ruled from 1629 to 1642. The uniqueness of its seven-color mosaic tiles and calligraphic inscriptions is due primarily to its splendor. Later, in 1638, the structure was integrated with marble dadoes. From the inscriptions installed on the structure, which recognize Badi’ al-Zaman Tuni as responsible for the building plans and site arrangement,’ Ali Akbar Isfahani as the architect, and Muhibb’ Ali Beg as the general contractor, much is known about the people involved in the construction of the mosque. On the reverse of the Iranian 20,000 Rials banknote, the mosque is depicted.

Visitors can find a stone under the central dome, right in the middle, that doesn’t fit the stone around it. This stone marks a major acoustic point in the mosque of the Shah. The sound echoes loudly through the rest of the building from here, allowing the imam to speak at a lower level, so everyone in the mosque can still hear it. Completed by the Seljuq dynasty and inherited by the Safavids, the four-iwan format firmly established the courtyard façade of such mosques, with the towering gates on all sides, as being more important than the actual building itself. One enters the mosque from the middle of the southern wall of the Maydan, via a recessed vestibule, where the main entrance to the mosque is situated on the southern wall of the vestibule. On its two other sides (east and west), this area connects to the corridor of the Maydan, which runs behind its commercial facilities.

Islamic architecture thus witnessed the advent of a new brand that differed from the early Arab mosques, such as the Umayyad Mosque’s hypostyle design. The four-iwan format usually took the form of a central courtyard with wide entrances on each side, square-shaped, giving the appearance of being gates to the spiritual world. The rectangular form of the rest of the mosque (100 by 130 meters) is rotated 45 degrees to orient it toward Mecca, where the qibla wall is placed. The main portal is linked to a triangular vestibule to achieve this orientation towards Mecca, connecting it to the courtyard of the mosque through the space behind the northeastern iwan.

(Interior of the main prayer hall in Shah Mosque)

Two 42-meter-high minarets rise on the tops, topped by beautifully carved wooden balconies with muqarnas running down the sides. A small pool and a resting place for the horses stood in the middle, in front of the entrance, and inside the worshipers found a large marble basin set on a pedestal, filled with freshwater or lemonade. This basin is still as it has been for 400 years, but at Friday prayers it no longer serves the purpose of offering refreshments to the worshipers. The mosque’s plan, however, poses an interesting variation: a domed chamber is behind each lateral iwan (on the northwest and southeast). The domed sanctuary behind the southwest iwan is flanked by rectangular rooms that act as winter prayer halls that are entered from the domed sanctuary aligned on the northeast-southwest axis (36 meters by 18 meters each).

One enters the main courtyard after going through the entrance portal, built around a wide pool. At the far end, the two gateways (iwans) on the sides direct one’s attention to the main gateway, the only one with minarets, and the lofty dome with its colorful ornamentation behind it. The halls are protected by eight domes and link to two rectangular arcaded courts serving as madrasas (22 by 44 meters each), which are both aligned on the northeast-southwest axis and accessible only from the domed chambers behind the iwans of the southeast and northwest. The direction of Mecca was indicated by the mihrab, a massive marble tablet ten feet tall and three feet broad on the southwestern wall. The iwan that pointed east from the main courtyard housed a religious school or madrasa.

Both the main iwan portal, overlooking the maydan, and the iwan sanctuary are flanked 34 meters high by a pair of towering cylindrical minarets. Tile mosaics with epigraphic elements are decorated with these minarets. Domes appeared often in the architecture of mosques after the introduction of domes into Islamic architectural designs by Arabs during the 7th century. An inscription band in white on a blue background runs on top of its upper region, marking the beginning of three levels of units of muqanas, each unit outlined with yellow lines and inscribed mainly in blue with a floral arabesque. These muqarnas tend to carry the roofed balcony of the minaret, which wraps around a narrower cylindrical center than the minaret’s lower shaft.

(The Shah Mosque)

The Masjed-e Shah was an immense building, said to have 18 million bricks and 475,000 tiles, costing 60,000 tomans for the Shah to construct. The bulbous dome is covered on the outside with a spiraling arabesque beige on a light blue backdrop. On a high drum and a sixteen-sided transitional zone, the dome rises. The dome of the Masjed-e Shah, reaching 53 meters in height, was to become the tallest in the city when it was completed in 1629. It was designed as a double-shelled dome spanning 14 meters between the two layers, sitting on an octagonal chamber of the dome. At the apex, the interior of the dome is ornamented by a sunburst from which arabesque levels descend. The eight domes are decorated with mosaic tile work with concentric medallions in floral motifs in each of the prayer halls adjacent to the domed sanctuary. From undecorated octagonal columns that divide the space of these halls into eight bays, the arches on which these domes rest ascend.

The Masjed-e Emām is notable, along with the three neighboring structures of the time, for its logically precise vaulting and imaginative use of colored tiles. The port of the mosque is 27 m (89 ft) high, crowned with two 42 m (138 ft) tall minarets. The most majestic iwan in the mosque is 33 m (108 ft) tall, facing the Qibla. The room behind this iwan is roofed with the largest dome in the city at an altitude of 53 m (174 ft). Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the mosque was renamed. Water is an important element of design; pools at the center of both the main court and the courts of the madrasas represent the architectural splendor of the Masjid-i Shah.

Information Sources:

1. archnet.org
2. omnivagant.com
3. wikipedia

Hagia Sophia (/ˈhɑːɡiə soʊˈfiːə/; from Koinē Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, romanized: Hagía Sophía; Latin: Sancta Sophia, lit. ‘Holy Wisdom’), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (Turkish: Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi) and formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia, is a domed monument originally built in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) as a cathedral in the 6^th century A.D. It is also known as ‘Church of the Holy Wisdom’ or ‘Church of the Divine Wisdom’, an important Byzantine structure in Istanbul, Turkey, and one of the great monuments of the world. Turkey moved to turn the 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia, a museum since 1934, into a mosque in mid-2020. Founded as an Orthodox cathedral and later used as a mosque for centuries, the awe-inspiring structure has been a focus for religious groups trying to revive it as a Muslim worship site in recent decades.

For any structure not made of steel, Hagia Sophia’s dimensions are formidable. It is about 82 meters (270 feet) long and 73 meters (240 feet) tall. The dome is 33 meters (108 feet in diameter and its crown rises about 55 meters (180 feet) above the pavement. With the minarets and inscriptions of Islam, as well as the luxurious mosaics of Christianity, the building represents the religious changes that have taken place in the area over the years. Established in the 6^th century as the cathedral for the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (also called the Byzantine Empire), the Hagia Sophia that stands today became a mosque in 1453 with the capture of Constantinople by the Ottomans. It remained a Muslim house of worship until 1934 when it was converted into a museum by the Turkish government.

(View of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey)

More than 50 years later, ‘Hagia Sophia’ was included by UNESCO as part of the Istanbul World Heritage Site Historic Site. The Greek geometers, Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, designed the building. The present Justinianic structure was the third church of the same name to occupy the site, having demolished the previous one in the Nika riots. As the Episcopal See of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, it remained the largest cathedral in the world for almost a thousand years, until the completion of Seville Cathedral in 1520. It has operated as a cathedral, mosque, and now a museum in its 1,400-year life span. Constantinople was the Byzantine Empire’s capital when it was first founded. This kingdom, officially Christian, originally formed the eastern half of the Roman Empire and carried on after the fall of Rome.

The Hagia Sophia is a wholly original synthesis of a longitudinal basilica and a centralized building, with an immense 32-meter (105-foot) main dome supported by pendants and two semidomes, one on each side of the longitudinal axis. The building is almost square in style. Separated by columns with galleries above, there are three aisles and wide marble piers rise up to support the dome. The walls above the galleries and the base of the dome are perforated by windows that blind the supports in the glare of daylight and offer the appearance that the canopy floats in the air.

In order to conform with Islamic values, during Mehmed II’s rule of the Ottoman Empire from 1451 to 1481, many of Hagia Sophia’s sublime works of art were plastered over. The grand mosaics of six-winged angels and other Christian figures were replaced by bold flowing lines of Arabic calligraphy on hanging roundels and a beautiful marble mihrab, showing the direction of Mecca. The vast interior has an intricate structure. The nave is enclosed by a central dome that is 55.6 m (182 ft 5 in from the floor and stands on an arcade of 40 arched windows at its height. Repairs to its construction left the dome somewhat elliptical, ranging in diameter from 31.24 to 30.86 m (102 ft 6 in and 101 ft 3 in).

Arched openings extended by half domes of equal diameter to the central dome on the western entrance and eastern liturgical side, borne on smaller semi-domed exedrae; a hierarchy of dome-headed elements constructed to create a massive oblong interior crowned by the central dome, with a simple span of 76.2 m (250 ft). Staff undertook significant repairs following the naming of the museum, such as carefully chipping away plaster to expose hidden mosaics. Along with the high upper gallery, they can partly be seen sparkling with glints of gold tile.

The original church on Hagia Sophia’s site is said to have been ordered to be built on the foundations of a pagan temple by Constantine I in 325. It was consecrated by his son, Constantius II, in 360. The main entrance to the church was facing west, perhaps with gilded doors and an additional entrance to the east. There was a central pulpit, and there was presumably an upper gallery, likely employed as a matroneum (section of women). A fire that erupted during a riot following the second banishment of St. John Chrysostom, then patriarch of Constantinople, destroyed it in 404. By the Roman emperor Constans I, it was restored and expanded.

The interior surfaces of the cathedral were sheathed with polychrome marbles, purple porphyry in green and white, and gold mosaics. During renovations in the 19th century at the behest of the Fossati architects, the exterior was covered in stucco tinted yellow and red. The structure now standing is basically the building of the 6^th century, although in 558 (restored 562) an earthquake caused a partial collapse of the dome and there were two more partial collapses, after which it was repaired to a smaller scale and the entire church strengthened from the outside. In the mid-14^th century, it was restored once again.

It has operated as a cathedral, mosque, and now a museum in its 1,400-year life span. Constantinople was the Byzantine Empire’s capital when it was first founded. This kingdom, officially Christian, originally formed the eastern half of the Roman Empire and carried on after the fall of Rome. It has been the cathedral of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople for more than a millennium. In 1204, the Venetians and the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade plundered it. On 29^th May 1453, Constantinople fell to the invading Ottoman forces; Sultan Mehmed entered the city and conducted Hagia Sophia’s Friday prayer and khutbah (sermon), which marked the formal conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

Although many travels to the historic building to gaze at its interior wonders, the exterior of the mosque is also worth exploring. Hagia Sophia’s four minarets, the Sibyan (elementary school fountain, the clock room, and the treasury building are iconic features of the daring architecture of the structure. Situated outside the house, the mausoleums of the Ottoman Sultans are equally fascinating to visit. The building was converted into a museum in 1935 by the first Turkish President and founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. For the first time since the renovation of the Fossatis, the carpet and the layer of mortar underneath them were removed and marble floor decorations such as the omphalion emerged, while the white plaster covering many of the mosaics was removed.

Hagia Sophia was declared a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site called the Historic Areas of Istanbul in 1985, which includes the other major historical buildings and locations of that city. Modern-day tourists will remember that there are two floors of the Hagia Sophia, the ground floor and a gallery above. The existence of the two levels may mean that when services were held at the cathedral, people were arranged according to gender and class. A controversial decision was taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2020 to transform the building back into a mosque. Shortly after the declaration, Islamic prayers with curtains partially concealing the Christian imagery of the building were conducted.

(Muslims attend Friday prayer at Hagia Sophia)

In 2020, Turkey’s government celebrated the 567^th anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople with an Islamic prayer in Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia has remained open to tourists as Turkey’s most popular tourist destination. No entrance fee will be paid, according to the latest announcement made by the Turkish government, and all mosaics will be uncovered, except during worship, when the building will close an hour before the time of prayer and reopen half an hour later.

Information Sources:

1. nationalgeographic.com
2. britannica.com
3. livescience.com
4. wikipedia

The Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan (Arabic: مسجد ومدرسة السلطان حسن‎) is a huge Mamluk period mosque and madrassa situated in Cairo, Egypt, near the Citadel. This building blends power and splendor, grace, and elegance, as well as a number of decorations. The main northern façade, which stretches to around 145 m in length and reaches a height of 38 m, is one of the most prominent features of the house. It was built during the Bahri Mamluk period, commissioned by Sultan An-Nasir Hasan, between 1356 and 1363. For its large scale and revolutionary architectural elements, the mosque was considered remarkable and is still considered one of the most impressive historic monuments in Cairo today.

In a prominent location below the Citadel, towards which the monumental portal is oriented, the free-standing complex, which had a monumental domed mausoleum flanking minarets, only one of which remains, is located. All the duration of the façade is occupied by the muqarnas-hood portal. The façade consists of a series of decorations in stone and marble and ends with a magnificent and elegant cornice at the apex, consisting of nine levels of minute muqarnas that resemble a honeycomb. The tallness of the outside dividers and the plan of the windows give the veneers an emphatically vertical accentuation. At the hour of development, the mosque was viewed as exceptional for its awesome size and creative design segments.

The Mosque-Madrassa Of Sultan Hassan

At the age of 13, in 748 AH/1347 CE, Sultan al-Nasir Hasan (full name: An-Nasir Badr ad-Din Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Qalawun) ascended the throne. The building of the mosque is considered all the more noteworthy as it coincided with the destruction caused by the Black Plague, which frequently hit Cairo from the mid-14th century onwards. Its construction began in 1356 CE (757 AH) and work proceeded for three years “without even a single day of idleness”. The façade of this mosque includes a towering portal, considered one of Egypt’s most imposing entrances to an Islamic building. The portal is distinguished by an arched ceiling decorated with a superb array of muqarnas tiers, which is a semi-dome. It is also assumed that limestone from the Giza Pyramids was extracted for use in the building of the mosque.

Two minarets, the older being the 81,60 m tall southern minaret, top the building’s eastern façade. In the manner of Mamluk minarets, both minarets consist of a square base followed by two octagonal stories. In the 20th century, the minarets were rebuilt. The madrasas’ four iwan layout occupies the middle of the plan, with a fountain of ablutions in the middle of the courtyard and the four madrasas located in the plan’s corners. In 1659, the northern minaret connected to the tomb fallen. In 1671-1672, the minaret was supplanted with a little one, with a somewhat unique structure, and at the same time, the first wooden arch of the catacomb was supplanted with the current vault, additionally in an alternate shape from the first.

Inside view at the Mosque-Madrassa Of Sultan Hassan

The qibla iwan is considerably larger than the other three, which in size and scale are all monumental. It is geared towards Mecca, which is to the southeast of Cairo, like all the mosques. With a surface area of 7,906 sq m, the floor plan of the building is polygonal; the longest side is 150 m in length, and the shortest is 68 m. The building is built of stone and consists of an open central courtyard in the center of which is a fountain for ablutions. The construction was inspired by the madrasa building phenomenon, where the aim was to teach religion according to the Sunni law schools, delving deeply into the understanding and teaching of Islam.

Moreover, two additional minarets were initially expected to remain over the amazing entrance of the mosque, particularly like in the design of Mongol Ilkhanid and Anatolian Seljuk madrasas and mosques around a similar period, which were in all likelihood a motivation. As opposed to coordinating the understudies’ cells into the focal space, the cells were masterminded along the street facades and their windows contain a necessary aspect of the engineering of the facades. However, one of those minarets toppled and killed about 300 people during construction in 1361, including children in the primary school below. The builders abandoned their work after this, leaving only the two minarets next to the mausoleum we see today.

The vestibule chamber, with dome and muqarnas vaulting, as well as ablaq stonework.

When Sultan Hasan died in AH 762 / AD 1361, with the exception of some additional works done by Bashir al-Jamdar, the building was almost complete. These works included the execution of the covering of the marble wall and the marble floors, the dome of the courtyard fountain (completed in AH 766 / AD 1364), and the two wide door leave belonging to the copper doors that can now be found in al-Mu’ayyad Sheikh’s mosque. The original bronze-covered entrance doors were forcefully purchased in the early 15th century by Sultan Mu’ayyad for use in his own mosque at a modest price, and can still be seen there today.

Information Sources:

1. islamicart.museumwnf.org
2. archnet.org
3. wikipedia

Lahore Fort (Punjabi and Urdu: شاہی قلعہ‎:  ‘Shahi Qila’, or “Royal Fort”) was originally designed to protect the Northern-Western entrance to the walled, old city of Lahore in Pakistan. It is a citadel in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Lahore is a historical city filled with landmarks. People can also say that Lahore carries a lot of figments from the past. Lahore has been the cultural and social hub for the subcontinent for century’s Enumerable emperor’s set foot in this city and constructed a number of grandiloquent structures that still carry the weight of history. Lahore fort is one of the pillars of this rich legacy of this city.

The fortress is located at the northern end of walled city Lahore and spreads over an area greater than 20 hectares. It contains 21 notable monuments, some of which date to the era of Emperor Akbar. The Lahore Fort is notable for having been almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century when the Mughal Empire was at the height of its splendor and opulence.

Though the site of the Lahore Fort has been inhabited for millennia, the first record of a fortified structure at the site was in regard to an 11th-century mud-brick fort. The foundations of the modern Lahore Fort date to 1566 during the reign of Emperor Akbar, who bestowed the fort with a syncretic architectural style that featured both Islamic and Hindu motifs. Additions from the Shah Jahan period are characterized by luxurious marble with inlaid Persian floral designs, while the fort’s grand and iconic Alamgiri Gate was constructed by the last of the great Mughal Emperors, Aurangzeb, and faces the renowned Badshahi Mosque.

Spanning over 20 hectares, Lahore Fort is a magnificent treasury of 21 notable monuments dated back to Mughal Emperor Akbar. Mughal rulers had built the whole structure in 17th during the boom of Mughal’s glory and opulence. After the fall of the Mughal Empire, Lahore Fort was used as the residence of Emperor Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire. The fort then passed to British colonialists after they annexed Punjab following their victory over the Sikhs at the Battle of Gujrat in February 1849. In 1981, the fort was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and received a generous donation for preservation and conservation.

Architecture –

The fort is located in the northern part of Lahore’s old walled city. The fort’s Alamgiri gate is part of an ensemble of buildings, which along with the Badshahi Mosque, Roshnai Gate, and Samadhi of Ranjit Singh, form a quadrangle around the Hazuri Bagh. The Minar-e-Pakistan and Iqbal Park are adjacent to the northern boundary of the fort.

Lahore Fort has two main gates for entrance 1st is Akbari Gate and the other is Alamgiri Gate. The Fort has many gardens inside, rendering serene and tranquil ambiance while strolling around. The history of the sumptuous legacy is explicitly mentioned on the different boards erected near the Akbari gate. In various eras of Mughal’s dynasty, notable structures were built in Lahore Fort along with lush gardens. The facades include Daulat Khana-e-Khas-o-Am, Jharoka-e-Darshan, Akbari Gate, Maktab Khana, Kala Burj, Lal Burj, Mosque Maryam Zamani Begum, Diwani-e-Aam, Shah Burj, Sheesh Mahal, Naulakha Pavillion, white Moti Masjid, Alamgiri Gate, and Three-doored Pavillion.

Built, damaged, demolished, rebuilt, and restored several times before being given its current form by Emperor Akbar in 1566 (when he made Lahore his capital), the Lahore Fort is the star attraction of the Old City. The fort was modified by Jehangir in 1618 and later damaged by the Sikhs and the British, although it has now been partially restored. Within it is a succession of stately palaces, halls, and gardens built by Mughal emperors Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb, comparable to and contemporary with the other great Mughal forts at Delhi and Agra in India. It’s believed that the site conceals some of Lahore’s most ancient remains.

The fort has an appealing ‘abandoned’ atmosphere (unless it’s packed with visitors) and although it’s not as elaborate as most of India’s premier forts, it’s still a fabulous place to simply wander around.

The wall of the fort is quite wide and thick. It was made to withstand the attack from any intruder that may have the intention to capture the fort. Inside the fort are buildings that housed the Kings of that era. Beautiful gardens also adorn the ambiance of the fort. These were the parks where Kings used to stroll. One can get an idea of the luxurious life the kings used to spend by viewing these marvelous structures.

The temperature at Lahore fort is very hot in summers, so bring visitors water with them and keep a headscarf wrapped at all times. It is better to hire a guide that can show visitors all the important places in the correct sequence and tell interesting trivia related to the sites inside the fort. Must see places are:

• Akbari Gate, was built in 1566 and now called Maseeti Gate.
• Alamgiri Gate, it opens into Hazuri bagh. Its pavilion and towers are landmarks of Lahore city itself. The pavilion, which stands in the garden known as the Hazuri Bagh, was built by Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1818. The upper two storeys of the structure were destroyed in a lightning strike in 1932.
• Picture Wall, a 1,450 feet (440 m) by 50 feet (15 m) wall, and it were built in Jahangir era, decorated with glazed tiles, mosaics, and fresco.
• Sheesh Mahal, it is located within Jahangir’s Shahburj block (if you are interested in other Jahangir buildings than you can see Hiran minar) It was constructed during Shajahan’s era for the personal use of an imperial family. It really does have amazing mirror work (Ayina Kari).
• Khilwat Khana, it was built by Shah Jahan in 1633 to the east of the Shah Burj Pavilion, and west of the Shah Jahan Quadrangle. It was the residence of the royal ladies of the court. The plinth and door frames are made of marble with a curvilinear roof.
• Kala Burj, built-in Jahangir reign, it was used as a summer pavilion. The vaulted ceilings in the pavilion feature paintings in a European-influenced style of angels which symbolize the virtuosity of King Solomon, who is regarded as the ideal ruler in the Quran, and a ruler with whom Jahangir identified. Angels directing djinns are also painted on tiles in the ceiling, which also reference King Solomon.
• Lal Burj, it was built during the reign of Jahangir, though finished during the reign of Shah Jahan. Octagonal in shape, the Lal Burj was used as a summer pavilion. It features primary windows that opened to the north to catch cool breezes. The interior frescoes date mostly from the Sikh era, along with the entire upper level that was also added during the Sikh era.
• Naulakha Pavilion, its construction cost around 9 lakh rupees (that’s why the name). It serves a personal chamber located near the Sheesh Mahal.
• Diwan-i-Khas, it was served as a hall where the Emperor would attend to matters of the state, and where courtiers and state guests were received. The hall was the site of elaborate pageantry, with processions of up to one hour long occurring before each audience session.
• Elephant stairs, it’s where visitors tour start. Stairs are made up of bricks and wide enough to allow elephants to pass through.
• Vantage point, from here visitors can see Minar-i-Pakistan, badshahi masjid, and Gurdwara Dehra Sahib Sri Arjun Dev.
• The Khwabgah of Shah Jahan, it was the bedroom of Shah Jahan. It was built by Shah Jahan under the supervision of Wazir Khan in 1634 during his first visit to the city. Five sleeping chambers are aligned in a single row. The chambers feature carved marble screens and are decorated with inlaid white marble and frescoes, It is the first building built by Shah Jahan in the fort. At present, its decorations have vanished except for a trace of the marble which once might have beautified the façade.
• Mai Jindan Haveli, it is now a site for Sikh gallery museum. Maharani Jind Kaur was the youngest wife of the first maharaja of Sikh empire Ranjit Singh.
• Souvenir shop, interesting place to buy keychains and fridge magnates.
• Maktab Khana (“Clerk’s Quarters”), originally known as Dawlat Khana-e-Jahangir, was constructed in 1617 under the supervision of Mamur Khan during the reign of Jahangir as a set of cloisters near the Moti Masjid. Designed by Khawaja Jahan Muhammad Dost, it was used as a passage to the Audience Hall from the palace buildings to the north. Clerks in the Maktab Khana would also record the entry of guests into the fort. It features iwans in the Persian-Timurid style in each of its four sides. Each iwan is flanked by arches.
• Badshahi Masjid is at a walking distance from Lahore Fort. Every Pakistani must see the architectural and historical wonder at least once in a lifetime. Overall, it was a very good trip. Going there in the summer heat might not a good idea.

In 1980, the Government of Pakistan nominated the fort for inclusion in UNESCO World Heritage Site based on the criteria i, ii, and iii together with the Shalimar. In the fifth meeting session held in Sydney in October 1981, the World Heritage Site committee added both the monuments to the list. In 2000, it was listed in the UNESCO Heritage Sites and received a generous donation for preservation and conservation. Conservation works at the Picture Wall began in 2015 by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and Walled City of Lahore Authority. Documentation of the wall using a 3D scanner was completed in July 2016, after which conservation work would start.

The whole fort is divided into two sections, the first administrative section, connected with entrance, and includes gardens of Diwan-e-khas but the second section is dedicated to royal residence and approachable from the elephant gate. Sheesh, Mahal, and small gardens are also included in this section. The exterior walls of the 2nd section are furnished with blue Persian Kashi tiles, Mosaic art, and calligraphy. The huge Picture Wall has been taken as the triumph of Lahore Fort and exquisitely decorated with the vibrant pattern of glazed tiles, faience mosaics, and fresco. Stretching to the northern and western walls of the city, the embellish wall is approximately 1450 feet long and contains 116 panels that interpret multiple subjects like elephant fights, angels, and polo games.

There are three small museums on site (photography prohibited): the Armoury Gallery exhibits various arms including pistols, swords, daggers, spears, and arrows; the Sikh Gallery predominantly houses rare oil paintings; and the Mughal Gallery includes among its exhibits old manuscripts, calligraphy, coins, and miniature paintings, as well as an ivory miniature model of India’s Taj Mahal.

In short, Lahore Fort is the majestic spectacle of Lahore that depicts the glorious history and culture of Lahore’s Walled City and requires an extensive amount of time and endurance to explore and appreciate.

Information Sources:

1. how2havefun.com
2. redplanet.travel
3. lonelyplanet.com
4. wikipedia