Byzantium, Constantinople, Miklagard, The Sublime Porte. Considered the greatest city in the world for millennia, Istanbul has been the capital, the crown jewel of not one, but TWO magnificent empires: The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. Its strategic position on the edge of Europe and Asia meant it was also a natural place for cultures to meet, resulting in a city that possesses a rich artistic and architectural history. This also makes it a must-see destination for any serious traveller.
The Byzantine and Ottoman Emperors erected breathtaking, majestic palaces for themselves in this city with a plethora of elegant churches and mosques around every corner. Istanbul showcases the best architecture of two worlds: Greek and Turk; Christian and Muslim. There is so much to see in the city that one could spend weeks, if not months, seeing all of its sights. But if you ever get the chance to go, here are three architectural sites you CANNOT miss:
The Blue Mosque, officially named the Sultan Ahmed Mosque after its founder, received its nickname because of the countless, awe-inspiring blue tiles lining the insides of the structure. The mosque was built from 1609-1616 and was the pinnacle of centuries of Orthodox and Muslim architectural evolution. It was designed to take the best from both traditions. Featuring 9 domes and 6 minarets, it sits as one of the largest mosques in Istanbul at over 4500 square metres, and can house ten thousand worshippers at once.
The Grand Bazaar is the largest covered market in the world, sprawling out over sixty streets and covering over 3000 stalls and shops. You may know it as that building that James Bond chased an assassin within and above in Skyfall. The Bazaar almost has a magical quality to it because, once you step inside, it almost feels like another world. Hawkish vendors try to peddle their goods to you as you walk the covered streets surrounded by the wonders of the past. Construction of the initial building began in 1455, but the bazaar would just keep growing and growing, expanding to eat up the adjacent streets, until the eighteenth century. The bazaar began originally with the Iç Bedesten, which was roughly 1250 square metres. Later, the Sandal Bedesten was built nearby, and the two bazaars quickly joined together, much like Kitchener-Waterloo. To this day, the bazaar has at least 250 thousand visitors daily.
The Theodosian Walls are arguably the second most important walls in history behind the ruins over in China. They defended the capital of the Byzantine Empire for a thousand years. Erected from stone, they stretch about six kilometres from north to south and were manned by thousands in their time. Constantinople was never captured for 700 years and was only finally taken through trickery. Engineers can learn a lot from the builders of these walls. They were designed to be practical, defensible, yet elegant, in which the wall achieved all of these tasks. Surely this is a must-visit place for all engineers.
The Hagia Sophia is arguably the most important work of architecture in Istanbul. The current incarnation was constructed in 532 by order of the Emperor Justinian, widely considered the greatest emperor of the Byzantine Empire. It is made up of materials from all across the Mediterranean: marble columns from Turkey, stone from Egypt, green marble from Macedonia, and yellow stone from Syria. When the Turks conquered the city, they converted the Hagia Sophia into their primary mosque and, today, it is a museum. The mosque is roughly 6000 square meters and the main dome is actually of particular interest to engineers. It is supported by four pedentives which stabilizes the immense weight of the dome, but actually weakened the rest of the building. It was the first time pedentives were used in construction.
Again, this is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are four architectural structures that absolutely CANNOT be missed. Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities in the world with a rich history and a unique culture. It deserves to be on every traveller’s list.
Leave a Reply