The Blue Mosque

(Blue Mosque, 1617, Sedefhar Mehmet Aga)

I'm sure we've all seen this building before, but probably don't know what it's called; this building is the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. This giant building was created by Sedefhar Mehmet Aga, a pupil and senior assistant of the famous architect Mimar Sinan to be in charge of the mosque (http://www.bluemosque.co/). Which was completed in 1617, in Istanbul soon after the death of the 27 year old, Sultan Ahmet I.

Sultan Ahmet I was the ruler of Istanbul, from as early as 13 years old, as time passed Ahmet was seen as a weak and inexperienced Sultan. Although his legacy resides with what he left behind, during a time of relative decline. In which Sultan Ahmet I, began construction on the Sultan Ahmed Mosque also known as the Blue Mosque. Although most mosques are usually constructed to signify political strength; and usually not placed in an area such as the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque was strategically placed in an area, where the public can have access to such a building. landing in-between Hagia Sophia and Byzantine Hippodrome. The Blue mosque does represent political power, although it is also a place for prayer. 

Interestingly enough, the name Blue mosque came from the incredible detailed tiles, and stained glass work. Giving it its nickname, the Blue mosque. With more than 20,000 Iznik tiles in the center of the mosque, having blue, green, and turquoise colors. Which contains traditional decorations such as trees, tulips, roses, and fruits giving the sensation of paradise; which is also given by the amazing amount of 200 windows, that let in natural light. Perfect for ceremonies, and religious traditions in the prayer hall of the Blue Mosque. Along with its six minarets, which were built for the call of prayer.


Learning about the Blue Mosque was very interesting, because I knew I had seen it before, little did I know this monumental building was in one my favorite Assassin's Creed games. Assassins' Creed Revelations.

(Assassin's Creed Revelations, 2011)
   


Dr. Radha Dalal, "The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)," in Smarthistory, August 8, 2015, accessed September 23, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/the-blue-mosque-sultan-ahmet-camii/.
 
"History of Blue Mosque." Blue Mosque. Accessed September 24, 2020. http://www.bluemosque.co/history.html 

 

Comments

  1. Ashley MSeptember 24, 2020 at 1:56 PM

    This is a really beautiful mosque. It's interesting to note that at night there are blue lights shining on it to give this dramatic effect. The six minarets also caused some backlash because it was competing with Mecca which, at the time, was the only other mosque to have six minarets. In order to squash the argument the Sultan had another minaret built in Mecca. I love how the art of Islam encompasses these simple yet amazing geometric designs into these stunning architectural pieces. The idea of these spaces being communal places of prayer blows my mind as well. Everything that I have read this week on Islamic art has made me want to dig deeper into it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jake, of "Jake Writes a Blog"September 28, 2020 at 1:33 AM

    Hey David, this is a great post. This building reminds me of the saint Elizabeth church in Europe which is also predominately blue. I believe it is located in Bratislava. I haven't played much assasins creed but as soon as I saw the image you included I coukdnt believe it! How cool. Thanks for introducing us to the history of this structure.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bronze statue of Eros sleeping

Image
This is known as the, Bronze statue of Eros Sleeping, from the 3rd century B.C.-early 1st century A.D.;  Hellenistic period. This bronze statue of Eros, is unlike any other statues of Gods, as Gods are often portrayed as heroic, with dynamic poses. Here we see Eros a primeval God the son of Chaos, as an infant, different from past sculptures. As Eros the God  of love, desire, and sexual love,  is often characterized as youthful, cruel and careless with his abilities that make others fall in love. But in this seven piece statue,  made up of the head, arms, legs, wings, body, and drapery.  Eros is seen as a sleeping babe, showing the purity, and innocence of love. As in the statue we can see the sincerity and calmness shown through his chubby body, through the flaps of skin overlapping; giving a feeling of naturalism throughout the piece.  Being seen as a harmless babe, people might think Eros is Cupid, except Eros is a Greek God, while Cupid was based off of Eros, with Cupid being a Rom
Read more

Lydenburg Heads

Image
(Lydenburg Heads, Lydenburg, South Africa ca. 500 A.D.) These heads are known as the Lydenburg Heads, each head dates back to about 500 A.D. Even though they're so old, there is little known about them. Except for this fact, these heads are the earliest forms of iron age art, south of the equator. But how were they found; surprisingly a ten-year-old boy named Ludwig von Bezing in 1957 discovered them. After playing on his father's ranch, he noticed some iron fragments in the dirt, at first he didn't pay too much attention to them. Ten years later after studying archeology Bezing returned to discover an important artifact. That is now known as the Lydenburg Heads, named after the location they were found.  While there is little information on these heads, the African people believe that these heads were used for religious purposes or ceremonies for children. Based on the size of these heads which are like tiny helmets that only children could use. Possibly, for inducting the
Read more

Similar Portraits? (Updated)

Image
Two Portraits: Juan de Pareja & Self-Portrait Art often has a grand purpose for its creation, to tell a story; in some cases more than others, a story is hard to come by, or, understand. Except in these two paintings: "Juan de Pareja"- Diego Rodrigues and "Self-Portrait"- Judith Leyster; have multiple things in common. As most paintings and art, are all similar in one way or another; these two are more similar than you think. If you know the reason they were created. (Diego Rodriguez, Juan de Pareja, 1650, The Met Fifth Avenue)  This first painting is from the Baroque, but the one in Spain. This is an oil painting by the artist Diego Rodriguez, called Juan de Pareja from 1650 which is now housed in The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 617. When this painting was first introduced it was said to have, "received such universal acclaim that in the opinion of all the painters of different nations everything else seemed like painting but this alone like truth." T
Read more