MIHRIMAH
SULTAN MOSQUE
Architect Sinan designed this mosque after 1557, for Mihrimah Sultan, Sultan Suleyman's daughter.
They also separate aisles from the domed central area. On the other hand, the southern and northern tympana are not buttressed any way. The outcome of this constructional drawback is an elegant structure, which looks like a crystalline ball, hung to ropes fastened on sticks. This effect is more apparent on the inside, which is abundantly lit with sunlight during daytime.
This mosque reminds another exceptional building, Hagia Sophia Church, which contains a huge dome placed on a basilica. This junction is a real challenge to structural canons, which necessitate a gable roof on top of an oblong basilica. In Mihrimah Mosque, the fenestration in the walls and the heavy dome calls for a bulky buttressing system, which is absent. In both examples, architects challenged established rules and created extraordinarily lit and ample spaces below the dome. |
