Shahada

February 2, 2016 by amandalennox 2 Comments

Shahada is the Islamic creed declaring the oneness of God and the acceptance of Muhammad as God’s prophet. In order for one to become muslim, they must recite the Shahada with a sincere heart. In English it translates to “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and the Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”. One declaring this pronounces publicly their confession of faith. It is also important to note that the Shahada is the first and most important of the five pillars of Islam, because understanding the Shahada means that one understands and accepts fully the essence of the entire faith, which is very important to muslims. The Muslims are very outward with their faith and the Shahada displays perfectly their need to proclaim the faith to others by reciting it.

The Shahada relates to the Hagia Sophia because it was first made as a Christian church and then later hanged into a Mosque for the Islamic people. The Hagia Sophia stands 180 ft high and 100 ft. wide, it had been standing for 1500 years and has survived many earthquakes because of its intricate architectural structuring. To build it, it tok 100 contractors and nearly 1000 workers. After 20 years the famous dome collapsed and Justinian had it rebuild. The dome that is present today is the same dome that was rebuilt.

The Shahada and the Hagia Sohpia are similar in the fact that they are both very treasured by the Islamic people. These are both centerpieces for their religion and faith which makes the two directly correlated to each other.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahada

berkleycenter.georgetown.edu

Mausoleums and Turbes

February 2, 2016 by Kayla Pollard 2 Comments

A mausoleum is a free standing building that acts as a resting place for the deceased, it is common to have multiple people kept in these buildings. In close relation to a mausoleum is a turbe mausoleum, turbe is the Turkish word for tomb, these buildings are often much smaller in comparison.

There are five turbes on the Hagia Sophia property that belong to the Ottoman Sultans, their family members, and those close to them. Before the Hagia Sophia became a museum it last served as a mosque. The tombs hold from four people to 54 people. With the largest turbe, Sultan Murat III chose to house his wife, his daughters and princes, along with other courtier women. In the smallest tomb are four of Sultan Murat III’s princes and a daughter. Some of these tombs were built specifically for the men they are named after, and others had been converted to tombs after death.

Every tomb that was built, or converted, has its own unique appearance. From the exterior the Tomb of Sultan Mastafa I (pictured above) seems to be the most conservative. This tomb acted as a storage space for lamp oil before being converted to a tomb. One of the grander tombs belonged to Sultan Selim II (seen below). A special architect, Sinan, was called to complete this building, and it was was completed three years after Selim II’s death. The outside of the tomb has grand arches, with gold accenting on the columns. Every tomb has hand decorated art and ornaments throughout.

34_sultan_selim_tomb

Sources:
http://www.hagiasophia.com
http://ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr/en

Photos from:
http://www.hagiasophia.com

Ottoman Empire

February 2, 2016 by Jake Sparhawk 4 Comments

www.dailyistanbulcitytour.com

The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet II, conquered Constantinople after a 54 day siege, which was the location of the church, Hagla Sophia. Eventually, Mehmet converted the church into a mosque after witnessing a man saying that this church was for infidels. Over the years, the Hagla Sophia has gone over a few changes by the Empire. For starters, the Sultan Bayezid ordered a new minaret, which is a tall slender tower with a balcony from which prayers are called, to be built. In the 16th century, Suleiman the Magnificent had two Hungarian colossal candles to be placed on both sides of the mihrab, which is a is a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque. Towards the end of the 16th century, the exterior of the structure was strengthen by famous architect Sinan. Sinan also built two minarets on the western end of the building and the mausoleum of Selim II, which is a building housing a tomb or tombs, to the southeast of the building. In the 17th century, two mausoleums were added next to Selim II’s: Murad III and Mehmed III. Over time, two restorations were done, one in 1739 and one in 1749.

Around 500 years of following the conquest of Muslims, it became a grand location for the Muslim community, with its beauty and history giving it something to be proud of. In 1935, Ataturk, the first President of Turkey, ordered to convert the mosque into a museum of Turkish Republic. It than became a rich foundation of history of Turkey and the world.