i started translating parts of a book on Istanbul and am about done with an entry about a religious complex of the ottoman empire...if people are interested in this sort of history, i can post it up here when im done....
cool, here it is.... The Fatih Religious Complex Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror and his viziers began a concentrated reconstruction effort to rebuild on the ruins of the newly-conquered Constantinople, speeded up the process of establishing a new center of government, and focused on quickly revitalizing the commercial zones in the city. When viewed as such, the Fatih religious complex can be considered the focal point where the religious, social, and cultural structures of the new Ottoman capital came together under one roof. A historian of the times, Kıvami's book Fetihname is dedicated to the conquest and explains how the wishes of the Sultan provided direction for the construction of the Fatih religious complex: “The ruler of the realm has wished it so that a grand mosque be built in the center of Constantinople, and that this mosque have no comparison on Earth. Let believers worship Him five times a day in this mosque; Him, the One God of the Realms, He who creates from nothing. The Sultan also wished for 8 large madrasahs to be erected on both sides of the mosque so that religious scholars go about their work in comfort and Islam be strengthened and exalted further. The Sultan also ordered two large hospices be constructed so that the fallen, orphans, and the hopeless find peace and comfort here and pray for the continuation of the state of the sultan of the realm.†The selected location for this religious complex was the fourth hill in the city where both the Church of the Twelve Apostles and the tomb of Emperor Constantine were situated. The Church of the Twelve Apostles was given to the Patriarchate immediately after the conquest but was soon abandoned because it was it serious disrepair. The ruins were razed and cleaned up in 1462 and both the mosque and the Fatih religious complex were built on this newly-vacated site. The religious complex was built on a plot around 320 m² that commanded the silhouette of The Golden Horn. The design belonged to Sinanüddin Yusuf bin Abdullah, known by his nom de guerre Sinan-ı Atik who was interred in the Kumrulu Masjid in the Fatih district. The central area of the religious complex featured the mosque and the 8 madrasahs collectively named Sahn-ı Seman which created a considerably large campus. The outer courtyard of the mosque was connected east and west through doorways named Türbe, Çorba, Boyacı, and Börekçi. Today only the Çorba doorway remains of all the outer courtyard doorways - Çorba is mentionable for its crown and the inlaid, highly embellished serpentine featured on it. Passage from the outer courtyard to northern and southern directions was by secondary doors between the madrasah buildings. The tombs of Mehmed the Conqueror and his consort Lady Gülbahar (or ‘Gülbahar Hatun') are in the cemetery of the complex that faces the qibla wall. Two important buildings in the complex, Darüşşifa (a type of hospital) and Tabhane (guest quarters), were in the East, on both sides on the Çorba doorway. The Imaret (almshouse) section was in close contact with the guest quarters and the caravanserai where guests left their animals; they were situated in the southeastern corner of the complex. A Turkish bath was also constructed on the site for the purpose of laborers being able to wash and clean up; it was known as Irgat Hamamı (the Irgat Bath). Previous Ottoman religious complexes did not have such characteristics as utilizing a very large area and were not planned on a perpendicular grid. It is interesting to note that the Fatih religious complex was built on a slope without any terracing done beforehand. Madrasahs around the Black Sea and the Mediterranean were always situated on clifftops. Owing to the pronounced southerly slope of the land, madrasahs around the Mediterranean featured interconnecting stairways and the southern façades of these madrasahs stood on retaining walls. The complex used to be located on the western half of the old city, on the main road towards modern Edirnekapı and close to the the inland customs office building. Saraçhane was an area mainly composed of saddlers and saddleries and was established to the east of the Fatih complex. The western side of the complex, Çarşamba, flourished as a major open market bazaar that took place every Wednesday. The Fatih religious complex played a major role in the development of Istanbul because the Fatih district attracted people with its religious, social, educational, and commercial capacities. The area was also densely populated as Haliç to the north, and Yeni Bahçe to the south were settled quickly. Over time, many madrasahs were constructed in the area; these madrasahs reflect the powerful attraction scientists have towards the Fatih religious complex. Mehmet the Conqueror also created a foundation for the continuation of the religious facilities and charities and endowed it with revenue generating properties. His foundation includes hundreds of rent-paying shops and inns, many baths, and the two major centers of commerce, Cevahir and Sandal. The Arabic inscription states the mosque was built between 1467-1470 and was mainly covered by one large dome that enjoined with a half-dome towards the qibla. The mosque was considered an important milestone within centrally-planned mosques and is accepted as the beginning of the classical age in Ottoman architecture. According to Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi's restitution, the diameter of the central dome was 26 meters and this main dome sat on 4 arches and 2 free columns that supported it. This noteworthy dome was damaged in the 1509 earthquake nicknamed “the Little Apocalypse†but could not withstand the earthquake in 1766 when it collapsed. The mosque was rebuilt on the same coordinates during the reign of Mustafa III but this new mosque built between 1767-1777 varies greatly from the original in both appearance and its carrier system. The new design decreased the diameter of the central dome; the new central dome was supported not by a single dome, but with 4 half domes. The portico courtyard was preserved during reconstruction, as well as the pylon, the Mecca-facing niche, and the minarets up to the first balconies. There are a few historical drawings that illustrate the design of the mosque but overall, the visual material pertaining to the original mosque is scarce. The northern façade is portrayed in M. Lorich's rendition of the Golden Horn. The Istanbul miniature made by Matrakçı Nasuh in the 1530s also shows the entrance side to the mosque. Another known depiction is a side view of the mosque from the south, from a document that is the official waterway map of the Köprülü religious complex. The 15th century historian Kıvami summed up the observations and deliberations of the age when he said: “They constructed a grand, heavenly building for a mosque; strange and unusual marble columns within high domes, multiple doorways, a large, sublime harem, many windows, a large pool in the middle, around which flows water like the elixir of life; so impressive that he who steps inside would automatically think he had entered heaven itself.†The design of the new mosque belongs to the head architect of the era, Mehmet Tahir Ağa. Tahir Ağa successfully combined the remnants of the old mosque with newly-built structures and, according to the custom of the time, made an addition to the northern side of the rebuilt mosque which was a compartment reachable only by a ramp that can best be likened to a keep of a castle. Additional constructs were introduced with time, such as the offices for timekeepers (1799), the fire pool (1825), and a constabulary (1838). The mosque's minaret was revamped and fitted with stone cones and a second balcony in the 19th century. The stone cones were removed during the restoration effort in 1965 and replaced with lead cones. One of the stone cones that was removed is currently on display at the Amcazade Hüseyin Pasha Madrasah, an old madrasah that has been revitalized as a museum by the General Directorate of Foundations. The tombs of Mehmet the Conqueror and his consort Lady Gülbahar (or ‘Gülbahar Hatun') are in the cemetery of the complex that faces the qibla wall. Both tombs were damaged in the earthquake of 1766 and saw repairs; the baroque style of the era is especially apparent in the tomb of the sultan. His tomb today has an decagon-based plan. Abdülhamid I had a new inscription placed above the tomb entrance in 1784; the tomb underwent further repairs in 1865. Lady Gülbahar's (or ‘Gülbahar Hatun's') tomb has an octagonal layout; according to the inscription on her tomb, the improvements made on her resting place were completed in 1781. The Fatih religious complex was an unmatched educational institution not only for having the best 8 madrasahs in the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century, but also for the 8 temimme attached to it-the function of the temimme was to serve as a preparatory school for madrasah education. The charter of the foundation created by Mehmet the Conqueror includes “…there has been built 16 madrasahs in the courtyard of the mosque so that their capital may be a gate to knowledge…â€, a statement clearly expressing the importance of science in the formation of the new Ottoman capital. Exceptional names such as Ali KuşÃ§u and Mullah Efdalzade Hamideddin took up teaching posts at the madrasahs in the Fatih religious complex and were awarded the highest compensation possible for their services. The lead-roofed madrasahs are lined on both sides of the mosque in groups of 4. The madrasahs to the north are referred to as “the Black Sea madrasahs†while the madrasahs to the south are known as “the Mediterranean madrasahsâ€. There are connected, joint madrasahs on the edges of these Black Sea and Mediterranean madrasah groups lined up on both sides of the mosque. The entrances to all the madrasahs are from the outer courtyard of the mosque. Every madrasah features 19 cells and a study room enclosed in a portico courtyard. According to the foundation charter, there were 15 students in every madrasah. Of the two groups of preparatory schools lined up parallel to the north and south of the Semaniye Madrasahs (aka Sahn-ı Seman), the group on the southern side was moved in 1928 during the construction of the Fevzi Pasha Street. In time, one preparatory school in the Black Sea group fell to the elements while the other 3 underwent restoration . Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi's restitution of the complex shows the preparatory schools as narrow constructs with lengthy courtyards. The school for young students, the Darüttalim-i Kuran, was known to have been located adjacent to the Boyacı doorway and that it was adorned with a single dome. The actual building does not stand today but Evliya Çelebi tells us that Ali KuşÃ§u had placed a sundial on this school. Mehmet the Conqueror bequeathed large numbers of books to the foundation. The complex employed an individual titled hafız-ı kütüp, the official who loaned out books. There was also another official who kept records on these loaned books. Ayverdi places the library of this era on the western wall of the outer courtyard. The current library was commissioned by Mahmud I in 1742 and can still be seen towards the qibla of the mosque, even if in a ruinous state. In the 18th century, the Carullah Efendi Library was incorporated into the outer courtyard to the north of the Ayakkurşunlu Madrasah, one of the Mediterranean madrasahs. The guest quarters were monumental buildings, vaulted halls closed on 3 sides that opened to the court. These units were 3-day accommodations which were planned around the portico courtyard. The guest quarters were converted into a madrasah in the mid-19th century and are being used today as a meeting place for Quran study groups. Two doctors and numerous caregivers diagnosed and treated patients within the hospital of the complex. The hospital was also the place where dietary food was prepared, in addition to sorbets and medicines. An old plan places the hospital around a courtyard that had porticos. The hospital was seriously damaged in the major earthquake of the 18th century and was left unattended for a very long time; eventually the hospital came down and the land was sold off. Artifacts from the almshouse are few and far in between. We learn of the almshouse through the foundation charter, which records detailed information on the employees of the almshouse, the food prepared, the kitchen, and the stockroom. We also know the almshouse processed 700 kg. of wheat flour, 310 kg. of meat, and approximately 150 kg. of rice on a daily basis. Special dishes and desserts were prepared using items such as saffron, unadulterated (pure?) cooking oil, grapes, and apricots during Ramadan, Friday evenings, and religious holidays. According to the charter, the almshouse employed 6 cooks, 6 bread makers, 2 wheat processors, one flour carrier, one meat carrier, and 2 dishwashers. The almshouse and caravanserai operated in conjunction, owing to the nature of their functions. The caravanserai housed the animals of those staying in the guest quarters. The foundation charter states that the almshouse employed 2 stablemen and an employee in charge of the barley. Like many buildings of the complex, the caravanserai was also harmed in the earthquake of 1766 and left in its deplorable state. The rectangular structure was covered with a barrel vault yet the eastern portion of the caravanserai building was still visible on Fevzi Pasha Street up until the 1980s; a new building looms over the caravanserai today. Istanbul's largest religious complex, the Fatih religious complex, has been adversely affected by fires and earthquakes. Some of the components have been restored while others fully and irrecoverably lost. The 1894 earthquake and the fires of 1918 wreaked havoc in the Fatih district. Further disruptions to the complex ensued when the area was being redesigned when the Irgat Bath (aka Karaman Bath) to the west of Şekerci Inn was demolished in 1928. The esteemed complex was further harmed in the earthquake of 1999, after which comprehensive efforts began to reinforce the damaged mosque and its annexes, efforts that have continued to this day.
can you tell me how the "complex" word worked out when you are able to look at it a bit?...i would appreciate it....