Abstract:

Also known as the Pier (Iskele) Mosque, Mihrimah Sultan Mosque is located in Istanbul’s Uskudar province, at Uskudar Square. According to the Arabic inscription written on the entrance gate of the mosque, it was ordered to be built by Mihrimah Sultan, the daughter of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566), and completed in 954/1548. The mosque was located within a complex consisting of buildings such as a madrasa, primary school, guesthouse, khan, alongside with trenches, and a fountain, built by Sinan the Architect. In later periods, two shrines, a bathhouse, pavilion, and muvakkithane were added to the complex. However, the guesthouse, khan, and pavilion were later taken down, and the bathhouse no longer serves for its purpose today. “Meşrutas” (lodgement) of the mosque burned down during the reign of Sultan Abdulmecid, and the muvakkithane was taken down in 1956. One of Sinan’s first big artifacts, the mosque has some unique features that were not repeated in Istanbul again such as its three half-dome plan and its pier inside that were designed in the shape of clovers. Having two minarets as it was ordered to be built by someone from the dynasty, the mosque also has the feature of double-last congregation, which was the first of its kind in Istanbul. In addition to the reparation projects conducted during the reigns of Sultan Mahmud II, Sultan Abdulmecid, Sultan Abdulaziz, and Sultan Abdulhamid II, restoration projects were conducted in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, according to archive documents. Within this study, the use of stone materials within the structural and decorative components of Mihrimah Sultan Mosque was examined. An artifact of the sixteenth century, Mihrimah Sultan Mosque possesses the characteristic features of its period with regard to the use and decorative features of stone materials. Much like the other artifacts of Sinan the Architect, limestone, which is used in the mosque’s masonry, was a material used within structural components. In addition, despite being partial, Marmara marbles and high-quality natural stones were also used with their decorative functions. Decorative stones were used on the gates, mihrab, minbar, maksoorah, side niches and mihrabiyes, pillars and pillar caps, shadirvan, minarets, and shadow clocks of Mihrimah Sultan Mosque. Relief, carving, latticework, dressing, painting, engraving, and inserting techniques were used on the decorative stones. Geometric, floral, and inscription ornaments, ornaments made with architectural styles, and colored stone ornaments dominate the ornaments made with traditional methods. This special building, whose stone ornaments were examined for this study, possesses the characteristic features of the sixteenth century with its architectural and ornamental features. From the architectural features with stone ornaments, it can be seen that, along with the classical ornamentation concepts, naturalist ornamentation concepts, which can be seen on Ottoman ornamentation arts starting in mid-16th century, also started to have their effect. There are no tiled ornaments in the building. However, naturalist designs on stones were used to some extent.

Keywords: