The Hagia Sophia mausoleums

Abstract

This study examines the dynastic mausoleums constructed in the courtyard of the Hagia Sophia complex between 1574 and 1639 within the context of the Ottoman architectural culture in general and, of the cultural and political framework of the Ottoman court in the last quarter of the sixteenth century in particular. This thesis has two main focuses. One is the function and meaning of the dynastic mausoleums at Hagia Sophia within the urban choreography of the Ottoman capital of Istanbul; a particular emphasis is made to the Atmeydanı. The changes in the location of the dynastic mausoleums under consideration are analyzed in relation with the changes in the policy of the self-representation of the Ottoman dynasty. The other focus of this study is the architecture of the mausoleums at Hagia Sophia. The architecture and the decoration of the mausoleums are described and interpreted within the contexts of the funerary architectural culture of the Ottoman dynasty and of the cultural institutions of the Ottoman court. The aim of this thesis is to examine the dynastic mausoleums at Hagia Sophia complex in an analytical way and contextualize them within the cultural and political environment of the Ottoman court in the last quarter of the sixteenth century. The mausoleums under consideration are conceptualized as a part of the dynastic funerary architectural tradition and the products of the cultural and political environment in which they were built. Descriptions and contextual analysis are made together and given equal weight in order to achieve a more insightful examination of the subject.